Banknote Billet France 50 centimes 1916

Remarks:

Pliure

The 50 Centimes Note from the Évreux Chamber of Commerce, issued in 1916, is an emergency banknote produced during the First World War, commonly referred to at the time as the European War. This type of issue arose in a particular economic context, marked by a widespread shortage of small metal coinage, resulting from hoarding and the growing demands of the war effort.

Faced with this situation, many French Chambers of Commerce were authorised to issue local fiduciary currency notes to compensate for the lack of small change in circulation. The Évreux Chamber of Commerce, an institution representing the economic fabric of the Eure department, was among these issuing bodies, thereby ensuring the continuity of commercial exchanges within its territory.

This note has a face value of 50 centimes, making it a payment instrument intended for everyday low-value transactions.

From a historical and numismatic perspective, these local issues constitute a direct testimony to the monetary adaptations imposed by the wartime context. The notes issued by the Chambers of Commerce between approximately 1914 and 1922 are today regarded as fully-fledged collectible items, documenting the economic survival mechanisms put in place during this period of great instability. The one from Évreux, dated 1916, corresponds to a central phase of the conflict, during which pressures on small coinage were particularly pronounced in France.