Banknote France 1 Franc - City of Dourges - 18-01-1915 - Serial E0 - 2nd printing

Remarks:

épinglages, plis, salissures, coupures en marge, écriture à l'avers

This 1 franc municipal bond was issued by the commune of Dourges on 18 January 1915, in the midst of the First World War. It belongs to series E0 and represents the second issue produced by this municipality in the Pas-de-Calais department.

During the conflict of 1914-1918, many French communes, faced with an acute shortage of metallic currency due to the demands of the war effort, were forced to issue their own local means of payment. These municipal bonds were intended to compensate for the lack of currency in circulation and to enable commercial exchanges within the local community. The commune of Dourges, located in a region particularly affected by military events, thus put these emergency fiduciary instruments into circulation.

This bond is denominated in francs, the official monetary unit of France at the time, for a face value of one franc. The issuance of such documents by municipal authorities reflects the local administrative organisation in response to the economic disruptions caused by the war. The reference to series E0 indicates a precise classification within the production of Dourges municipal notes, allowing the different issuance tranches to be identified and distinguished.

From a numismatic perspective, this type of municipal bond represents a category of emergency paper money particularly sought after by collectors specialising in French war currency. These local issues constitute direct historical testimonies of the economic hardships endured by civilian populations during the Great War. The precise issuance date of 18 January 1915, along with the series identification, gives this document rigorous documentary traceability, an essential characteristic for the study and classification of these emergency issues.