Banknote France 50 Centimes - Chambre de commerce - Bar-le-Duc - 4ème émission - 1917

Remarks:

This 50-centime banknote was issued by the Bar-le-Duc Chamber of Commerce in 1917. It is the fourth issue of this chamber of commerce. The front of the banknote features the inscription of the face value "0.50" repeated four times in the corners. In the center, we can read "CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE BAR-LE-DUC" followed by the words "50 CENTIMES". The signatures of the Treasurer and the President are also present, framing the mention "4me Emission". A serial number, here "N° 999,602", is printed on the banknote. The name of the printer, "NANCY-PARIS-STRASBOURG_BERGER-LEVRAULT", also appears on this face.

The back of the banknote bears an inscription informing the public that banknotes exchangeable for Banque de France banknotes had to be presented for redemption before September 1, 1922. This temporal indication is important to understand the context of the issue of this type of emergency money. The watermark of the banknote represents bees, a symbolic motif that could be associated with local economic activity and industry.

The printer of this banknote is Berger-Levrault, a company based in Nancy, France. The presence of this printing house, as well as the references to Paris and Strasbourg, suggest production on a regional or national scale to meet the monetary needs of the time. This banknote testifies to the local currency issues during the First World War, a period when local institutions had to compensate for the lack of national liquidity.