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50 Centimes - Chambre de commerce d'Angoulème [16]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Angoulême |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centimes (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Pale salmon-toned note printed in blue-grey, with a rectangular guilloche border enclosing the central design. The municipal coat of arms of Angoulême, flanked by scrollwork and the mottoes FORTITUDO MEA and CIVIUM FIDES, is set at the top centre, with caduceus vignettes on both lateral margins above cornucopia motifs. The denomination 50 CENTIMES is printed in large bold letterpress type below the issuer's name, with circular 0,50 cartouches at the lower corners, two manuscript signature lines beneath the titles Le Trésorier and Le Président, and the emission date ÉMISSION DU 15 JANVIER 1915 above the serial number at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Cream-toned note printed in blue-grey, the entire reverse dominated by a large central oval cartouche rendered in a copperplate-script style and surrounded by a dotted guilloche border. Circular 0,50 cartouches occupy the upper corners, while the series designation 4me Série appears in circular medallions at the lower corners, all set within a plain ruled rectangular outer frame. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Comments |
French chambers of commerce became de facto issuers of emergency small change in 1915 because the wartime hoarding of coin — silver and bronze alike — left daily retail commerce at a near standstill. The Banque de France offered no practical solution at the centime level, so prefectural authorities authorized local chambers to fill the gap. Angoulême, a significant administrative and industrial center in the Charente, was among the earlier chambers to act, printing through Keller Frères, a local house, rather than sending plates to Paris.
The JP# reference spanning three catalog numbers indicates this design was issued across at least three distinct authorization or date variants — worth distinguishing when cataloging.