Besançon's 1917 aluminium necessity issue was one of hundreds of French municipal token coinages produced when wartime metal requisitions and the hoarding of small change created a near-total collapse of circulating fractional currency. The French state had suspended convertibility and drained copper and nickel for munitions, leaving communes, chambers of commerce, and private firms to fill the gap independently. Besançon, capital of the Franche-Comté and a center of watchmaking, issued its own series rather than rely on the regional chamber.
The El Monetario reference 10.2 indicates a variant within the local type — likely a die or edge distinction from the primary issue.
Besançon's 1917 aluminium necessity issue was one of hundreds of French municipal token coinages produced when wartime metal requisitions and the hoarding of small change created a near-total collapse of circulating fractional currency. The French state had suspended convertibility and drained copper and nickel for munitions, leaving communes, chambers of commerce, and private firms to fill the gap independently. Besançon, capital of the Franche-Comté and a center of watchmaking, issued its own series rather than rely on the regional chamber.
The El Monetario reference 10.2 indicates a variant within the local type — likely a die or edge distinction from the primary issue.