Banknote Billet France 50 centime 1916

Remarks:

Plis et salissures

This 50 centime note was issued in 1916 by the town of Remiremont, a municipality located in the department of Vosges. It is part of the context of local monetary issues during the First World War, a period during which many French municipalities and chambers of commerce were forced to compensate for the shortage of metallic currency in circulation, notably due to hoarding and the considerable demands of the war economy.

This type of note, commonly known as emergency money or necessity note, represents an important historical testimony of local economic organisation in times of conflict. The town of Remiremont, like many other French municipalities, issued these small-denomination notes to ensure the continuity of daily commercial exchanges.

The presented example belongs to series D and bears the issue number 6478, allowing its precise identification within the relevant series. These distinct numberings and series were intended to control the volumes issued and to limit the risks of counterfeiting.

The face value of 50 centimes corresponds to one of the most common denominations of these local issues, designed to facilitate low-value transactions on a daily basis.

These local notes, issued over a relatively short period, are today sought-after collectibles among numismatists and historians specialising in notaphily, the discipline dedicated to the study and collection of banknotes and similar items. Their state of preservation, their numbering and their belonging to a specific series are determining criteria in their evaluation.