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50 Centimes - Chambres de Commerce de Belfort
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Belfort |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917-1918 |
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| Printer | B. Arnaud, Villeurbanne, France (1898-1990) |
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| Obverse description | A geometric guilloche border frames the central design, which incorporates vignettes of both the obverse and reverse of a French 50 centimes Semeuse coin dated 1915. At the foot of the note, the Lion of Belfort — the celebrated sculpture by Bartholdi — serves as a heraldic device. Issuing authority, denomination, and series designations are printed in letterpress throughout. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE BELFORT DÉLIBÉRATION DU 4 NOVEMBRE 1918 50 CENTIMES SERIE IMP.B.ARNAUD-LYON-PARIS |
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| Comments |
Belfort's Chamber of Commerce began issuing small-denomination emergency notes in 1915 as the wartime coin shortage stripped everyday transactions of their working change. The Territoire de Belfort — France's smallest administrative division, carved out specifically to preserve a French-held enclave after the 1871 annexation of Alsace-Lorraine — had particular reason to keep its local economy functional: the town remained a symbol of resistance, and disruption to commerce carried political weight beyond the purely economic.
B. Arnaud of Villeurbanne handled a substantial volume of French chambre de commerce emergency issues during this period. The watermark security was modest but sufficient to deter casual forgery in small-town circulation.