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½ Frange / Franc
| Issuer | Republika Shqipëtare (Albanian Republic), Korçë |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Reference(s) | P#145 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a large brown double-headed eagle vignette at centre, the national symbol of Albania, set against a decorative guilloche underprint of repeating scroll patterns in green and brown. The denomination "1/2" appears in oval cartouches at upper left and upper right. Bilingual text in French and Albanian runs in horizontal bands across the lower portion, with two manuscript signatures below and a date "10-10-17" at bottom centre, flanked by a serial number. The imprint "GRAVEUR: DAVIER" appears at lower left and "IMPR. A. A. VANCHELI – KORYTZA" at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIKA SHQIPËTARE A VUE ET AU PORTEUR LA DIRECTION DES FINANCES PAIERA UN FRANC OU DEMI-FRANC LA DIRECTION DES FINANCES ME TË PARË DIREKCIA E FINANCËS DOI I PAGUANË SIBLERË SUMEN GJYSMË FRANGE LA PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL GRAVEUR: DAVIER IMPR. A. A. VANCHELI – KORYTZA |
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| Comments |
Korçë spent most of 1916–1920 under French military administration, and this note is a direct product of that occupation — issued by a local Albanian republican authority but printed at A. A. Vancheli's small press in the town itself, under French supervision. The bilingual denomination, "½ Frange / Franc," reflects the currency peg to the French franc that the administration imposed to stabilize a region where Ottoman piastres, Greek drachmai, and Serbian dinars had all circulated within living memory.
Engraver credit to "Davier" is unusual for such a modest provincial emission — likely a local artisan rather than a trained banknote engraver, which accounts for the relatively rough execution compared to contemporary issues from established European printers.