Billet France 1 franc 1915 VF

This 1 franc note was issued in 1915 by the Papeteries Bergès de Lancey, an industrial establishment located in the commune of Lancey, in the Isère department, in the Dauphiné region. It is part of the context of emergency currency issues that proliferated in France during the First World War, a period during which the shortage of metallic coinage forced many businesses, chambers of commerce and local authorities to produce their own means of payment for internal or local use.

The Papeteries Bergès represent an industrial site of notable historical importance. Founded by Aristide Bergès, a pioneer of white coal (hydroelectric power), these paper mills played a major role in the development of hydraulic energy exploitation in the French Alps. The issuance of such notes reflects the economic organisation specific to this establishment, which employed a significant number of workers requiring payment solutions adapted to the monetary constraints of the time.

This note bears serial number 1235, an individual identification element that makes it possible to trace its history and attest to its authenticity within the corresponding issue series. The numbering of these emergency notes was a common practice aimed at controlling the volumes put into circulation and limiting the risks of counterfeiting.

From a numismatic point of view, this type of emergency fiduciary document represents a valuable source of information on local economic practices in wartime. The notes issued by the Papeteries Bergès are today considered collectible items belonging to both notaphily and the industrial and social history of early 20th-century France. Their state of preservation as well as their serial number are determining criteria for collectors specialising in this field.

 

 

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