Catalog
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| Issuer | Ville de Besançon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Centimes (0.10) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 1917 L. Hatot |
| Reverse description | The upper left portion of the reverse features a scenic vignette depicting the Besançon Citadel looming above the Pont de Bregille spanning the Doubs River, as viewed from the Promenade Micaud. The lower right area bears the issuer inscription and face value in incuse or relief lettering. The composition balances a topographical vignette with the essential denomination and municipal authority text. |
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| Additional information |
Besançon's 1917 emergency coinage belongs to a wave of municipal necessity issues produced across France when metal hoarding and wartime requisitioning stripped small change from everyday commerce. The city of Besançon, capital of the Doubs department and a significant industrial center near the Swiss border, was among dozens of French municipalities that took it upon themselves to mint local substitutes. Silver at this weight was an unusual choice — most contemporary French municipal issues ran to zinc, cardboard, or aluminium.
The El Mon#10.8 reference places this firmly in the documented Franche-Comté emergency series. Its survival in any condition is notable given how thoroughly these wartime pieces circulated until official coinage returned.