Catalog
50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce d'Elbeuf 76
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Elbeuf |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
| Protection description | Repeated text watermark reading 'VILLE D'ELBEUF' and 'CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE' across the entire note surface. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Elbeuf, a textile town on the Seine southeast of Rouen, was one of dozens of French provincial chambers of commerce that issued emergency small-denomination notes during the First World War when coin shortages became acute. The central government's copper and nickel were absorbed by the war effort, and local commerce ground against a near-total absence of change. These chambre de commerce issues filled that gap from roughly 1914 onward, with individual towns responsible for their own designs, paper procurement, and redemption guarantees.
JP#55-04 is catalogued among the Elbeuf series but detailed print run data for this specific type remains sparse. The watermark security was typical of the more carefully produced provincial issues — some chambers cut corners badly, others did not.