Catalog
½ Frange / Franc
| Issuer | Shqipërië Vetqeveritare (Albanian Self-Government, Korçë) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Designer(s) | Davier |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in dark brown and green on plain paper, with a central vignette of the Albanian double-headed eagle with wings spread wide, flanked on either side by circular cartouches bearing the denomination '1/2 fr'. The heading 'SHOIPËRIË VETOEVERITARE' runs across the top, with bilingual text in French and Albanian below the eagle detailing the promise to pay, attributed to the Direction des Finances and the President du Conseil. The town name 'KORCË' appears as an overprint at the bottom centre, along with a manuscript date and serial number, with the engraver and printer credits reading 'GRAVEUR: DAVIER' and 'IMPR. A. A. VANGHELI - KORYTZA' at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | DEMI FRANC 1/2 GJYSMË FRANGE |
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| Comments |
The Korçë franc notes of 1917 are among the most locally-produced emergency issues anywhere in Europe during the First World War. The short-lived Albanian Self-Government at Korçë was a French-protected enclave — established in late 1916 after French forces pushed back Bulgarian and Central Powers occupation — and this currency was essentially a municipal improvisation printed by a local press, A. A. Vangheli, with no involvement from any major security printer. Davier, credited as both designer and engraver, remains otherwise unidentified in the literature.
The control stamp was the only real anti-counterfeiting measure, which tells you something about the circumstances under which these circulated.