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50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon - Gannat 03
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon-Gannat |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centimes (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green and black letterpress note with an ornate guilloche border running the full perimeter. The issuer's title is printed across the top, below which the ministerial authorization date of 18 January 1921 appears, followed by the denomination CINQUANTE CENTIMES in large bold type. Two circular dark vignettes at left and right each display the numeral 0.50, while a central official circular seal of the Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon-Gannat is flanked by the manuscript signatures of the Treasurer and the President. The series letter and serial number appear at lower left and lower right respectively, with the note declared exchangeable against Banque de France banknotes. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon-Gannat issued small-denomination emergency notes like this one to address the chronic coin shortage that persisted in France well into the early 1920s, years after the Armistice. The wartime disappearance of bronze and cupro-nickel coins — hoarded, melted, or simply lost to the disruption of normal commerce — forced hundreds of French provincial chambers to deputize as de facto currency issuers, a function they were never designed to hold.
Herbin & Bouché printing this locally is worth noting — most chambers of comparable size contracted Parisian or Lyonnais printers. The JP#84-56/57 reference covers two varieties within this issue, distinguished by serial numbering.