Banknote France 1 Franc - City of Roubaix and Tourcoing - 20-04-1916

Remarks:

épinglages, plis, salissures

This municipal bond with a face value of one franc was jointly issued by the cities of Roubaix and Tourcoing on 20 April 1916, during the height of the German occupation in the First World War. This type of fiduciary document belongs to the category of emergency issues, produced locally to offset the shortage of metallic currency caused by the conflict.

During this period, many municipalities in northern France, then under occupation, were forced to issue their own means of payment in order to maintain a minimal monetary circulation within their local economies. The cities of Roubaix and Tourcoing, two major industrial cities in the Nord department, joined forces to produce these municipal bonds, recognised and accepted within their respective territories.

This emergency note, denominated in French francs, bears the precise issue date of 20 April 1916, making it an accurately dated testament to an exceptional monetary practice linked to the dramatic circumstances of the war. The municipal bonds issued by these two cities are today sought-after documentary and numismatic pieces, reflecting the administrative and economic organisation of occupied territories during the conflict.

In terms of formal presentation, this municipal bond clearly mentions the two issuing municipal authorities as well as the face value of one franc. This type of local issue, often printed with limited means, nevertheless features an official structure intended to confer legitimacy upon it among the inhabitants and merchants of both cities. It forms part of a broader corpus of French emergency currencies issued between 1914 and 1918, particularly abundant in the northern and eastern regions of the country.