Banknote Billet France 1 franc 1917

Remarks:

Lettre B dans un cercle noir

This emergency banknote with a face value of 1 franc was issued by the Chambre de Commerce de Cognac, in France, on 24 May 1917. It is rooted in the context of the First World War, a period during which the shortage of metallic currency forced many French chambers of commerce to issue their own necessity notes in order to compensate for the lack of coinage in circulation.

This type of local paper money, commonly known as a necessity note or war currency, was produced and guaranteed by regional commercial institutions, including the Chambre de Commerce de Cognac, which held recognised economic authority in the Charente region, renowned for its cognac industry. These local issues were legal tender only within the geographical areas falling under the issuing authority.

The presented example bears the annotation "Annulé" (Cancelled), indicating that it was withdrawn from circulation and officially invalidated by the issuing institution. This cancellation marking was generally applied to notes when they were recalled at the end of their period of use or upon the liquidation of necessity issues. A cancelled note nonetheless retains significant documentary and historical value, bearing witness to the exceptional monetary practices adopted in times of crisis.

In terms of dating, the precise mention of 24 May 1917 allows for clear identification of the issue series to which this note belongs, an important characteristic for collectors and historians specialising in the numismatics of the 1914?1918 period. Necessity notes issued by French chambers of commerce during this war are today highly sought-after collectibles, particularly for their graphic diversity and their direct testimony to local economic organisation in times of conflict.