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25 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce d'Arras [62]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Arras |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | 31 December 1923 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | LA LOI PUNIT LES CONTREFACTEURS 0,25 0,25 ARC ARC LES BILLETS EN CIRCULATION SERONT ECHANGEABLES CONTRE DES BILLETS DE LA BANQUE DE FRANCE JUSQU'AU 31 DECT. 1923 |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Arras spent much of the First World War under near-constant artillery bombardment — the town was effectively on the front line from 1914 onward, and normal banking infrastructure had collapsed. The Chambre de Commerce filled the vacuum by issuing emergency small-denomination notes locally, a pattern repeated across occupied and contested northern France. What makes this series unusual is that Imprimerie Malfait managed to produce it within Arras itself, a city being shelled, rather than relocating production south.
Le Mayeur de Merprès, the designer, was a Belgian-born artist who later became better known for his time in Bali. His involvement here is a minor biographical footnote, but an odd one.