Banknote France 1 Franc - City of Saint-Quentin - 20-08-1915 - Serial E

Remarks:

plis, salissures, tamponné au revers

This banknote with a face value of 1 franc was issued by the City of Saint-Quentin on 20 August 1915, in the midst of the First World War. It belongs to series E and is a representative example of the war bonds issued by French municipalities during this conflict.

War bonds are substitute monetary instruments put into circulation by local authorities to compensate for the shortage of paper currency caused by the wartime context. The city of Saint-Quentin, located in the Aisne department, was at that time in a zone occupied by German forces, which gives this document a particularly significant historical value. The issuance of such bonds bears witness to the efforts of local administrations to maintain minimal economic activity within the territories affected by hostilities.

This type of emergency note, issued in France in 1915, is representative of a period when the central government could no longer single-handedly ensure the supply of currency to the regions most affected by the conflict. Municipalities, chambers of commerce and other local bodies thus took over by producing their own denominations, whose value was guaranteed by the issuing community.

Series E indicates that this is an issue forming part of a set of notes numbered or classified by series in order to facilitate their control and administrative management. The precise date of 20 August 1915 inscribed on the document allows for rigorous identification of its issuance, making it a valuable collectible for numismatists specialising in emergency currency and local issues from the First World War.