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50 Francs
| Issuer | Caisse d'Échange, Orléans |
|---|---|
| Year | 1801-1802 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is framed by a decorative typographic border of repeating ornamental units running along all four edges. At upper centre, the large heading 'Caisse d'Echange' is set in bold letterpress type, with the address 'Rue du Colombier, No. 12, à ORLÉANS' below in a smaller roman face. To the upper left, a small oval vignette contains a standing allegorical figure. The body text, partly in red letterpress, reads 'Cinquante Francs' and details the terms of redemption, with manuscript date, handwritten signatures, and the series and number designations 'Série A' and 'No.' at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse shows the plain unprinted side of the note, with the obverse text visible in mirror image as a strong show-through, including the 'Caisse d'Echange' heading and the decorative border, all reversed. The surface is undecorated, consistent with the simple production methods of early nineteenth-century French provincial exchange notes. Horizontal fold lines are evident across the sheet. |
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| Comments |
The Caisse d'Échange des Monnaies was a short-lived institution established under Consulate-era monetary legislation to facilitate the exchange of old Ancien Régime coinage and Revolutionary assignat remnants into the new franc system. The Orléans branch operated for roughly two years before the network was absorbed into the emerging Banque de France structure following the bank's consolidation of provincial note-issuing privileges.
Locally printed provincial issues from this transitional window are among the most fragile survivors of early Napoleonic monetary reorganization — not because of poor manufacture, but because circulation was brief and redemption aggressive.