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1/2 litre of milk - Schaerbeek
| Issuer | Bureau de Bienfaisance de Schaerbeek |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Copper |
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| Obverse description | Plain field bearing a four-line central inscription in raised Latin characters reading '1/2 / LITRE / DE LAIT / SCHAERBEEK', arranged concentrically in the field. A circular legend surrounding the central inscription reads '* BUREAU DE BIENFAISANCE *', separated by small decorative star stops at each terminus. The overall design is utilitarian in character, with no pictorial devices, consistent with a welfare-issue token intended for practical redemption use. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | * BUREAU DE BIENFAISANCE * 1/2 LITRE DE LAIT SCHAERBEEK |
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| Additional information |
Belgian bureaux de bienfaisance — municipal poor-relief offices — issued token coinage throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries to distribute welfare in kind rather than cash, preventing recipients from spending relief funds on anything other than designated goods. Schaerbeek's bureau served one of Brussels' most densely populated communes, and milk tokens in particular were tied to infant mortality campaigns driven by the broader hygienic reform movement sweeping Belgian cities after 1870.
The specific redemption value — a half litre — points to direct distribution through approved dairies rather than general markets.