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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 | 25 Centimes (0.25) |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The centre of the reverse carries an oval intaglio vignette of war-damaged ruins of Arras — crumbling towers and shattered Gothic masonry — set within a lozenge-pattern guilloche underprint in pale rose. The denomination '0,25' appears in bold letterpress at left and right of the central vignette, flanked by the chamber's interlaced monogram 'ARC' at the lower corners. Anti-counterfeiting and redemption legends run along the top and bottom margins respectively. |
| 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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| 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.