Banknote Billet Pyrénées-Orientales 1 franc 1916

Remarks:

Plis, 1 épinglage et tâches

This emergency banknote with a face value of 1 franc was issued by the Chambre de Commerce de Perpignan, in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales, on 28 April 1916. It belongs to series F.C. and stands as a direct testimony to the troubled period of the First World War, during which the shortage of metallic currency forced many French chambers of commerce to issue their own local means of payment.

These issues, known as emergency currency or chamber of commerce notes, were intended to compensate for the lack of currency in circulation, as silver and bronze coins were being hoarded or requisitioned for the war effort. The Chambre de Commerce de Perpignan was thus among the many institutions authorised to issue this type of locally circulating paper money.

The note displays the typical characteristics of French wartime issues of this era, with the explicit mention of the issuing body, the face value of 1 franc, and the precise issue date of 28 April 1916. The reference to series F.C. allows this note to be identified and classified within the full range of issues made by this chamber of commerce during the conflict.