Banknote Billet France 10 francs 1915

The 10 Franc Municipal Bond of the City of Marchiennes is an emergency banknote issued in 1915, during the period of German occupation of northern France in the course of the First World War. This type of local paper currency, commonly known as "emergency money", was put into circulation by numerous French municipalities in order to compensate for the shortage of metallic coinage caused by the conflict.

This note belongs to Series 1 and bears the serial number 24269, allowing its precise identification within the issue produced by the municipality of Marchiennes, a locality situated in the department of Nord. The town of Marchiennes, like many other municipalities in northern France that were occupied or close to the front, was compelled to issue this type of municipal bond in order to maintain a functioning local economy in the context of an acute monetary crisis.

The face value of this bond is 10 francs, making it a relatively significant denomination for this type of local issue, as municipal bonds were generally produced in several values intended for everyday transactions. These notes were guaranteed by the issuing municipality and were intended to circulate exclusively within the communal territory or at a local level.

From the perspective of preservation and historical documentation, this note represents a direct testimony to the economic and monetary disruptions caused by the First World War on French civilian territories. The municipal bonds of the Nord department issued between 1914 and 1918 now constitute a category of emergency numismatics that is particularly studied by collectors and historians specialising in this period.