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50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce et Ville d'Orléans 45
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce et Ville d'Orléans |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Imprimerie Auguste Goût et Cie, Orléans, France |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse, printed in red on cream paper, is enclosed within an ornate rocaille letterpress border with foliate scrollwork at the corners and sides. At upper centre, the twin authorities 'VILLE D'ORLÉANS' and 'CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DU LOIRET' are inscribed in two columns flanking a decorative floral motif. The denomination 'CINQUANTE CENTIMES' appears in large bold capitals across the centre, with a circular vignette at lower centre enclosing the numeral '50c'. Two blocks of French text in smaller type occupy the lower left and right panels, stating the guarantee of the note by deposit at the Banque de France and the two-year redemption condition. A large pale underprint reading 'CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DU LOIRET' runs diagonally across the entire field as an additional security element. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Emergency chamber of commerce notes like this one filled a practical vacuum created by wartime hoarding of coins — by 1916, small change had virtually disappeared from circulation across France as the public held back metal. The Loiret department's solution, like dozens of other regional chambers, was locally printed paper. Auguste Goût et Cie was a commercial printer in Orléans, not a specialist security press, which accounts for the relatively modest production values found across this series.
The JP#95 reference covers four distinct emission numbers, suggesting multiple print runs or authorization dates within the 1916 series — minor typographic differences distinguish them rather than any substantive design change.