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50 centimes - Chambre de Commerce du Puy 43
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce du Puy (Haute-Loire) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 10 October 1920 |
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| Obverse description | Green-tinted note with an elaborate guilloche border incorporating circular rosettes at each corner and along the margins. The municipal coat of arms of Le Puy-en-Velay is positioned at the top centre, flanked by a scrolled ribbon cartouche bearing the issuer's name. The denomination CINQUANTE CENTIMES is printed in large bold letterpress at centre, with SÉRIE A below, circular underprint panels to either side bearing deliberation and exchangeability notices, two manuscript signatures, and a serial number in a rectangular cartouche at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain green-tinted reverse with a continuous guilloche frame incorporating stylised floral ornaments at the corners and along each side. The central field carries a light guilloché underprint against which the denomination 50 CENTIMES 50 is printed in large bold type, followed by a three-line redemption notice in smaller letterpress. The printer's imprint appears in small capitals at the foot centre. |
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| Comments |
Emergency fractional paper currency flooded provincial France after 1914 as silver and bronze coins vanished from circulation almost overnight — hoarded by a public that trusted metal over paper when war came. Chambers of commerce across the country were granted authority to issue small-denomination bons, and Le Puy's chamber was among those that moved quickly. The 50-centime denomination addressed the most acute end of the shortage, the coins most needed for daily market transactions.
The JP# references 70-1, 70-2, and 70-5 indicate multiple date or text variants within the same basic type — a common pattern for Haute-Loire issues, where successive authorizations required updated printings from Waton's Saint-Étienne shop.