When German forces occupied Belgium in 1914, the occupying administration systematically dismantled the national currency supply, requisitioning metals and disrupting coin distribution across the country. Ghent's municipal authority responded by issuing emergency token coinage — noodgeld — to keep local commerce functional. The gold-plated copper construction was a deliberate visual approximation of value rather than any actual precious metal content.
Albert I remained on the coinage as a pointed political statement. Issuing money bearing the Belgian king's image under German military occupation was an act of quiet defiance from the city administration.
When German forces occupied Belgium in 1914, the occupying administration systematically dismantled the national currency supply, requisitioning metals and disrupting coin distribution across the country. Ghent's municipal authority responded by issuing emergency token coinage — noodgeld — to keep local commerce functional. The gold-plated copper construction was a deliberate visual approximation of value rather than any actual precious metal content.
Albert I remained on the coinage as a pointed political statement. Issuing money bearing the Belgian king's image under German military occupation was an act of quiet defiance from the city administration.