50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce du Havre 76

The Le Havre Chamber of Commerce began issuing emergency small-denomination notes during the acute coin shortage that followed the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. French commercial and municipal chambers were authorized to produce this kind of emergency fiduciary currency — *monnaie de nécessité* — when the hoarding of metal coinage brought everyday retail transactions to a near standstill. The Le Havre issues were among the earliest and most widely used in Normandy, circulating heavily through the port's commercial district.

The JP#68 series encompasses three catalogue variants under the same design umbrella, distinguished by minor typographic and stamp differences. The embossed chamber seal was applied as a validation measure against counterfeiting — a practical choice given the improvised production conditions of wartime France.