Banknote Billet France 50 centimes 1915

Remarks:

Plis et salissures

Date: 10 Août 1915

This 1 franc note was issued in 1915 by the Chambers of Commerce of Alençon and Flers, two commercial institutions located in the department of Orne, in France. It belongs to series X-1.

This type of banknote is rooted in the particular context of World War I, a period during which the shortage of metallic currency, caused in particular by hoarding and the growing need for metals for the war effort, led many French chambers of commerce to issue their own emergency banknotes and coins. These local issues were intended to offset the lack of means of payment in circulation and to facilitate commercial exchanges at the regional level.

The Chambers of Commerce of Alençon and Flers thus jointly put these notes into circulation in order to meet the local economic needs of the department of Orne. This type of joint issue between two chambers of commerce from the same department illustrates the institutional cooperation established in the face of the economic difficulties of the time.

It should be noted that despite the full designation referring to 1 franc, the face value of this note is 50 centimes, making it a small-denomination instrument intended for everyday transactions. These emergency notes, although of temporary and local use, are today valuable historical testimonies of the economic organisation of France in wartime, and represent highly sought-after collectibles among enthusiasts of numismatics and regional history.