25 Centimes - Syndicats Commerciaux des Pyrénées Orientales

Emergency small-change scrip, issued by a commercial syndicate in Perpignan when the wartime hoarding of metal coinage created an acute shortage of fractional currency across France. The Syndicats Commerciaux des Pyrénées Orientales was one of dozens of regional chambers and trade bodies that stepped into the vacuum left by the state, producing locally valid substitutes under a framework tacitly tolerated by the Treasury. Louis Delfau, a local artist with roots in Roussillon decorative work, handled the design — an unusual choice that gave this series a slightly more considered appearance than the purely functional scrip issued elsewhere.