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| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Caen et de Honfleur |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Imprimerie Charles Valin, Caen, France |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in red on a pale ground and consists of a central cartouche framed by acanthus scrollwork, with scallop-shell ornaments at top and bottom centre and fleur-de-lis motifs at the lower corners. Within the cartouche, a three-line text specifies the conditions of redemption at Banque de France branches and auxiliary offices in the Calvados department, and the designation 'DEUXIÈME ÉMISSION' is set in bold letterpress beneath. The denomination '0,50' appears in large figures at both the left and right margins outside the cartouche. |
| Reverse lettering | 0,50f 0,50f Ce billet est délivré et échangé contre des billets de la Banque de France dans les succursales et les bureaux auxiliaires du Département du Calvados. DEUXIÈME ÉMISSION |
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| Comments |
French Chambers of Commerce were authorized to issue emergency small-denomination notes in 1914–15 to address the acute shortage of coin that followed the outbreak of war — silver and copper were hoarded immediately, leaving everyday commerce functionally paralyzed. The Caen chamber's issues were among dozens produced locally across Normandy and the rest of France during this period, each chamber responsible for its own redemption guarantee.
Printed by Charles Valin in Caen, this 50 centimes note covers two distinct commercial territories — Caen and Honfleur — reflecting the chamber's dual jurisdiction across Calvados and its port annex on the Seine estuary.