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50 francs - Cantine des P. G. A.
| Issuer | Houillères du Bassin du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais, Groupe de Bruay |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1948 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Uniface letterpress printing on grey-green paper stock with no vignette, guilloche underprint, or ornamental device. The issuing authority and group designation are set in the upper portion, with the denomination rendered in large bold type across the centre, followed by the redemption clause in smaller roman type; the title of the authorising signatory appears at lower left with a manuscript signature beneath it, and the serial number prefixed by 'No' at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Completely plain reverse with no printed text, vignette, or ornamental device of any kind; the grey-green paper stock is entirely unprinted. |
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| Comments |
The Houillères du Bassin du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais were nationalized coal-mining operations established under the postwar nationalization laws of May 1946, though some group-level canteen scrip was already circulating before the formal reorganization took effect. This note — issued by the Bruay group specifically for the prisoner-of-war canteen ("Cantine des P.G.A.") — was intended for German POWs employed in the mines as forced labor under Allied repatriation and reparations agreements.
The use of dedicated scrip prevented POW wages from entering general circulation and kept purchasing power confined to controlled canteen outlets. Bruay was one of the largest mining groups in the Pas-de-Calais basin, and German labor there continued into 1948 as France extracted what it could before repatriation concluded.