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5 Centimes - Chambres de Commerce du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais
| Issuer | Chambres de Commerce du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| In circulation to | 31 December 1925 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 1er GROUPEMENT ÉCONOMIQUE RÉGIONAL CHAMBRES DE COMMERCE DU NORD ET DU PAS-DE-CALAIS 5 centimes Le Trésorier Le Président CINQ CENTIMES |
| Reverse description | Printed in blue on plain paper, the reverse is framed by a fine dot-bead outer border enclosing an inner border of stylised laurel or wheat-ear sprays at the sides and scrollwork at the corners. A large central guilloche medallion repeats the bold numeral "5" with "Centimes" below, flanked on the left and right by two columns of seven participating chamber-of-commerce city names. A three-line redemption notice in italic script occupies the lower portion of the note, above a serial number printed at the bottom edge. |
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| Comments |
The Chambres de Commerce du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais issued emergency fractional notes during the First World War because the French state had effectively abandoned small-denomination coinage — bronze and nickel had been hoarded or diverted to wartime production, and official emergency coinage couldn't keep pace with demand. The two chambers issued jointly, which was itself unusual; most departmental emergency issues came from a single chamber acting alone.
At 61 × 43 mm, this is among the smallest paper currency produced in France during that period — closer in scale to a postage stamp than a banknote, which created real handling and wear problems in daily commerce.