50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce de Dieppe 76

French chambers of commerce were authorized to issue emergency small-denomination notes from 1914 onward as metal coinage disappeared almost entirely into hoarding and wartime melting. By 1920, the Dieppe chamber was still circulating its own fractional currency — a sign of how slowly the coinage shortage resolved even after the Armistice. These local emissions were never legal tender beyond their issuing district, and redemption was often inconsistent, which left many examples stranded outside circulation rather than returned and cancelled.

Imprimerie Richard produced notes for numerous provincial chambers during this period, working to tight cost constraints. The watermarked paper was the primary security measure — modest by central bank standards, but adequate for low-value instruments few forgers would bother with.