10 Centimes

Ouveillan is a small wine-producing commune in the Aude département of southern France, and this piece is a privately issued nécessité token — emergency small change struck by a merchants' association when official coinage disappeared from everyday commerce. Such gaps were chronic in rural France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as hoarding and the flight of small denominations to urban centers left village trade nearly paralyzed. Local shopkeepers pooled resources under the Commerçants Réunis banner and issued redeemable tokens to keep transactions moving.