Mulhouse issued this piece in 1998 as part of the wave of French municipal "euro" tokens that preceded the actual euro's introduction — a marketing exercise as much as anything, timed to capitalize on public curiosity about the coming currency union. Hundreds of French towns and cities ran similar programs that year, partnering with local merchants to create limited circulation scrip redeemable within participating shops.
The [68] designation is simply the French departmental code for Haut-Rhin, used here to distinguish Mulhouse's issue from identically named tokens produced by other municipalities.
Mulhouse issued this piece in 1998 as part of the wave of French municipal "euro" tokens that preceded the actual euro's introduction — a marketing exercise as much as anything, timed to capitalize on public curiosity about the coming currency union. Hundreds of French towns and cities ran similar programs that year, partnering with local merchants to create limited circulation scrip redeemable within participating shops.
The [68] designation is simply the French departmental code for Haut-Rhin, used here to distinguish Mulhouse's issue from identically named tokens produced by other municipalities.