FRANCE - VILLE DE METZ. 50 Centimes Emergency Banknote Issued soon after the fighting had ended in World War One. Dated 27 Décembre 1918 - this note is in lightly handled and lightly circulated almost EXTREMELY FINE condition.
POST WORLD WAR ONE EMERGENCY BANKNOTE -
Catalogue References : - Pirot (Chambre de Commerce Catalogue) #130-1, plus Pirot (Communes et Villes Catalogue) #57-10.
50 CENTIMES DENOMINATION.
Metz is now a commune and a city in the Haut-Rhin department in the Grand Est region of North East France. It sits at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers, close to the Luxembourg and German borders. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department. It was part of Germany between 1871 and 1918 and again between 1940 and 1945. This note was issued for and by the French authorities following the expulsion of the German occupiers, from Alsace-Lorraine and the subsequent influx of French troops to the area in November 1918. This meant that for a period of a few days, the status of Alsace Lorraine was in flux, until the restoration of full French sovereignty by the beginning of December. This emergency banknote was one of those issued in the area in December 1918.
On the face, the note is in Black and Red on shades of a Greenish Yellow background. The reverse is in shades of Red on a Light Greenish Yellow background only, all on White unwatermarked paper.
At the top centre on the face is the distinctive Coat of Arms of Metz in Black and White, above this in the margin are the words - RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. Below the Arms in an upwardly turned curve are the words VILLE DE METZ. Across the centre in Red is a bar with 50 CENTIMES across it, reversed out in White. Below are the signatures of Le Maire at the time Charles Victor Prévost at the bottom left and Le Recevoir Municipal at the bottom right.
Below and between the signatures is Serial No. 118,063 in Black.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT - The situation in Alsace Lorraine in November 1918 was chaotic, French troops had moved in and local administration was in crisis, it was remarkable how quickly the French regained control and set up new local authorities. The Mayor of Metz at the time of issue was Charles Victor Prévost who was made Mayor on 24th November 1918, replacing the existing Mayor Roger Foret who had been Mayor under the German authorities, he was deposed on 11th November, the Maire of the neighbouring Commune of Bronvaux Charles Becker acted as the temporary Maire de Metz, for the intervening period ,before Charles Victor Prévost took over a few days later.
The reverse shows a line drawing in Pinkish Mauve of the statue in Metz of the French Military hero, during the Napoleonic period, Marshall Michel Ney, remembered most for his combative and resolute courage and leadership, during the wars against Russia in the early 19th Century. The Emperor Napoléon dubbed him 'Le Brave des Braves' - the Bravest of the Brave.
At each corner on the reverse in Pinkish Mauve is the denomination as '0,50'. There is a panel of text in very tiny letters below the image of the statue, which states - ‘Tous les bons de la ville de Metz sont échangeables contre les billets de la Banque de France, jusqu'au 31 Décembre 1920. Le remboursement ultérieur n'en pourra plus être exige' meaning roughly -'All emergency issue notes from the city of Metz are exchangeable for Banque de France notes until December 31, 1920. Subsequent reimbursement will no longer be honoured'.
The banknote was printed by the firm of BERGER-LEVRAULT of Nancy, Paris, Strasbourg, whose ident. is printed at the bottom centre of the margin, on the face.
This old Emergency Banknote has seen a little circulation and handling. It has a strong vertical fold and a few other lighter creases in places. It has a couple of small, light, age related surface spots along the margin of the right edge and bottom edge. There is some light discolouration to the reverse, just along the line of the Vertical fold. The edges and corners are sharp and straight with almost no sign of any wear. The note has NONE of the tiny pinholes which are usually found, on French notes of the period, this is a bonus. The banknote is otherwise fully intact and grades to at least a/XF, a great looking Banknote in great condition and a highly collectible example.
Offered here at the very low BUY it NOW price of just £11.95. With a Make Offer option.
See my other banknotes and occasional coins in my eBay shop, many at BUY it NOW Prices, most with a Make Offer option.
HISTORICAL NOTES:- Billets de Nécessite and other Emergency notes were issued in Europe - predominantly in France, during and after World War One from about 1914 and up to the early 1920's, they were used in towns and regions in place of coins which during wartime became scarce as the metal was needed for industry, their use by and large became redundant by the mid 1920's as the economies began to recover following the privations of Wartime. On most of them there was an issue date with details of the date and time they could be re exchanged for regular currency issued by the Banque de France or other Central Bank.
There are hundreds of different types, they were issued mainly in denominations of 50c, 1 Franc and 2 Francs. They are interesting historic documents. The same issues were often printed on any paper that was to hand, sometimes of poor quality, even lined paper from School exercise books, tissue paper, tracing paper and cardboard were used on occasion.
PINHOLES:- Most French notes of the period inevitably had pinholes because of the quirky way that shops used to deal with banknotes, when a customer paid for an item with notes, a receipt was always given and a copy kept by the retailer to which he stapled or pinned the banknote. The practise had generally died out in France by the 1980's, but it still goes on in some shops in rural areas to this day!!
See my other Banknotes and occasional coins in my eBay shop, where most are at reasonable Buy It Now prices and some with a Make Offer option.
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