Banknote Billet France 1 franc 1915

Remarks:

Plis de comptage, salissures

The 1 franc note issued by the Chambre de Commerce de Roanne stands as a direct testimony to the economic upheavals caused by the First World War in France. Dated 28 June 1915, this fiduciary document belongs to the category of emergency issues, produced locally to offset the shortage of metallic currency that struck the country from the very beginning of the conflict.

From the summer of 1914 onwards, the massive hoarding of silver and copper coins by the population, combined with disruptions to national monetary production, forced many French chambers of commerce to issue their own banknotes and emergency currency. The Chambre de Commerce de Roanne, located in the Loire département, was among those institutions authorised to put low-denomination notes into circulation in order to maintain everyday commercial transactions within their area of influence.

This note with a face value of 1 franc is part of a broader series of denominations issued by this body during the war. Its issue in 1915 corresponds to a period when monetary tensions were particularly acute, as divisional coins had virtually disappeared from circulation. These chamber of commerce notes generally circulated at a local and regional level, their acceptance being guaranteed by the credibility and authority of the issuing institution.

From a numismatic and notaphilic standpoint, this type of note holds considerable historical interest. It bears the name of the Chambre de Commerce de Roanne as well as the precise date of issue, both characteristic features of these local wartime issues. These documents are today regarded as collectible pieces representative of France's monetary and economic history during the First World War, illustrating the adaptive mechanisms put in place by local authorities in the face of an unprecedented crisis.