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50 Centimes - Chambre de commerce d'Angoulème [16]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Angoulême |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Orange and dark brown letterpress note with a fine geometric guilloche underprint covering the central field. The city arms of Angoulême — a fortified tower flanked by foliage — appear as a vignette at the top centre, accompanied by the motto scrolls reading FORTITUDO MEA and CIVIUM FIDES. Caduceus vignettes occupy the left and right borders, with denomination roundels (0,50) at each lower corner and 2me Série cartouches at each upper corner. The emission date ÉMISSION DU 15 JANVIER 1915 is printed at the foot of the central panel above the serial number, with the printer's imprint along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 0,50 | 0,50 Ce Bon, garanti par dépôt d'égale somme à la Banque de France, est toujours échangeable aux guichets de sa succursale d'Angoulême et devra, sous peine de prescription, y être présenté au remboursement dans le délai de cinq ans à dater de ce jour. 2me série | 2me série |
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| Comments |
The chambers of commerce emergency notes issued across France from 1914 onward filled a vacuum created almost overnight when metal coinage vanished from circulation — hoarded by the public within weeks of mobilization. Angoulême's chamber was among the earlier provincial issuers to act, and this 50 centimes piece from 1915 reflects the genuine urgency of that moment rather than any administrative formality.
Keller frères was a local Angoulême printer, not a security printing house, which makes the inclusion of a watermark notable — provincial issuers varied considerably in how seriously they treated counterfeiting risk at this denomination.