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50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce de Belfort 90
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Belfort |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | JP#23.17 à 20 |
| Obverse description | The note is printed in pink and blue on a pale ground with a fine text underprint repeating "CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE BELFORT" across the entire field. A decorative guilloche border in pink frames the design. To the left, a circular vignette shows the French "Semeuse" (sower) motif inscribed REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE; to the right, a complementary circular stamp bears the denomination 50 CENTIMES with a floral sprig and the motto LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ dated 1915. The large bold denomination "50 Centimes" occupies the centre, with the series number and issue number printed in the lower margin. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | Without watermark |
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| Comments |
Belfort's Chamber of Commerce began issuing small-denomination emergency notes in 1915 when the wartime coin shortage made everyday commerce almost impossible across provincial France. The Territoire de Belfort's unusual administrative status — it remained a separate territory rather than a department after 1871, specifically because its garrison had refused to surrender during the Franco-Prussian War — gave its Chamber of Commerce both the authority and the motivation to act independently when central supply failed.
Imprimerie B. Arnaud, based in Lyon, handled emergency currency for multiple chambers during this period. The JP#23.17 à 20 reference span indicates at least four distinct date or signature varieties within the same basic design.