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| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Calais |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Reference(s) | JP#36-21/22/23/24 |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE CALAIS Délibération du 14 Janvier 1916 50 CENTIMES Le Trésorier Le Président Série 121 7,652 IMP. B.ARNAUD LYON - PARIS |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
French chambers of commerce were authorized to issue emergency small-denomination notes during WWI to address the acute shortage of coin — silver and copper had been hoarded or redirected to the war effort almost immediately after mobilization in August 1914. Calais was under particular pressure: a major Channel port handling enormous Allied supply traffic, the town's commercial life depended on functioning small change in a way that a quieter inland city might not.
B. Arnaud of Villeurbanne printed for numerous provincial chambers during this period, and the JP#36-21 through 24 sequence reflects the multiple issue dates or control variants within this 50 centimes type rather than design changes.