Banknote Billet France 1 franc 1915

Remarks:

4 épinglages

This 1 franc note was issued by the Commune of Étreux, a locality situated in the department of Aisne, in France. It bears the date of 3 July 1915 and belongs to the second issue produced by this commune, carrying serial number 1060.

This type of numismatic document is rooted in the particular context of World War I, a period during which many French communes, faced with a shortage of fiduciary currency, were compelled to issue their own emergency notes. These local issues served to compensate for the lack of currency in circulation, caused in particular by the hoarding of metal coins and the economic disruptions brought about by the conflict.

The commune of Étreux, like other municipalities in the Nord and Aisne regions, found itself in a particularly difficult situation, as this area was directly affected by military operations and enemy occupation. The issuance of such local notes bears witness to the administrative organisation that was maintained despite the extreme conditions of the war.

This emergency note now constitutes a historical document of the highest order, illustrating the economic and administrative adaptations of French local authorities during the Great War. Notes from communes such as Étreux are relatively rare, particularly when preserved in good condition, and represent a valuable source for the study of the local economic history of this period. The individual numbering of each example, as evidenced by the number 1060 appearing on this note, allowed at the time for a rigorous tracking of the issues produced by the municipality.