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50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce de Boulogne-sur-Mer 62
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Boulogne-sur-Mer |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Brown letterpress reverse printed on pale ochre paper, with the four corners occupied by circular cartouches each bearing the numeral 50. The central field carries two heraldic shields surmounted by crowns — the left bearing the arms of Boulogne-sur-Mer and the right the armorial device of the Chambre de Commerce — flanking the denomination inscription 0,50 Centes in bold type. A symmetrical decorative frieze of tools, anchors, scrollwork, and foliate ornaments fills the upper and lower registers against a finely lined guilloche background. |
| Reverse lettering | 50 50 0,50 CENTes 50 50 |
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| Comments |
French chambers of commerce were authorized to issue emergency small-denomination notes during and after World War I to address a severe shortage of coin, which had been hoarded or melted. Boulogne-sur-Mer's chamber issued this 50 centimes note in 1920, well into the postwar period — the coin shortage persisted far longer than the armistice.
Printed locally by Imprimeries Réunies rather than one of the large Parisian security printers, the series relied on a watermark as its primary fraud deterrent. JP#31-26 places it within a well-documented run of Boulogne chamber issues, most of which circulated heavily in the fishing port's busy commercial economy before redemption series wound down in the mid-1920s.