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50 centimes - Chambres de Commerce de Granville et Cherbourg [50]
| Issuer | Chambres de Commerce de Granville et de Cherbourg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centimes (0.50) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in red-violet on a dense guilloche underprint formed by the repeated names of the issuing chambers, the obverse carries the bold central denomination '50 CENTIMES' above a vignette of an equestrian statue, flanked by the coats of arms of Granville and Cherbourg. The denomination '0f.50' is repeated in rounded corner panels, while the full issuing authority title runs across the top and two facsimile presidential signatures appear beneath the vignette. A serial-number panel is positioned at the foot, with the printer's imprint 'IMP B.ARNAUD / LYON - PARIS' in the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 0f.50 CHAMBRES DE COMMERCE DE GRANVILLE & DE CHERBOURG Délibérations du 21 Septembre 1921 (Cherbourg) et du 7 Octobre 1921 (Granville) 50 CENTIMES ECHANGEABLE CONTRE DES BILLETS DE LA BANQUE DE FRANCE Le Président de la Chambre de Commerce de Granville Le Président de la Chambre de Commerce de Cherbourg N° 558,972 IMP B.ARNAUD LYON - PARIS |
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| Comments |
During and after the First World War, the Banque de France was simply unable to supply enough small-denomination coinage to meet everyday demand, and hundreds of local chambers of commerce across France began issuing their own emergency paper fractional currency — bons de nécessité. The joint issue by the Chambres de Commerce of Granville and Cherbourg reflects a practical arrangement between two Norman port towns whose combined commercial volume warranted a shared series rather than duplicate emissions.
B. Arnaud of Villeurbanne, a specialist in commercial and municipal printing, handled much of this regional emergency work. By 1921 the acute shortage had largely passed, making late-dated issues like this one shorter-lived in circulation than earlier wartime pieces.