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50 centimes - Chambre de Commerce de Limoges [87] cadre bleu et rose, fond rose
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Limoges |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
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| Obverse description | A blue guilloche border with decorative corner medallions frames a pink guilloche underprint field. The issuer's title appears in a blue cartouche at top centre, with the denomination '50 CENTIMES' in large letterpress type across the middle and the fractional value '0.50' repeated in circular medallions at each lateral margin. Below the denomination panel, two manuscript signatures are applied for the Président and the Vice-Président par délégation, with the date '17 AOÛT 1914' inscribed in a panel at foot. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Limoges Chamber of Commerce began issuing emergency small-denomination notes almost immediately after the outbreak of war in August 1914, when hoarding drained the country of coin almost overnight. France's central banking system had no mechanism to replace fractional currency at the local level, so chambers of commerce across the country stepped in — Limoges among the earliest.
Printed locally by Pierre Dumont, this issue carries a watermark, unusual for such an improvised wartime instrument. The blue and rose frame with rose ground distinguishes this variant within the JP#73 series, where color differentiation served as the primary control against substitution fraud between denominations.