10 Cents Magnetic

France accelerated nickel coinage for Indochina in the late 1930s partly in response to tightening silver supplies and shifting monetary policy in the colonies, but the magnetic designation on this type points to a specific wartime contingency: nickel composition varied enough between issues that magnetic testing became a practical tool for distinguishing types. Production effectively ceased after 1940 when Japanese occupation disrupted the Hanoi mint's operations and the Vichy administration scrambled to source alternative metals, eventually turning to aluminum and zinc for successor issues.