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25 Centimes

Issuer Auch, Commune of
Year 1916
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Currency Franc (1795-1959)
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Obverse description Central shield bearing the civic coat of arms of Auch, quartered with a rampant lion to the right and a standing horse to the left, surmounted by an ornate floral crest and flanked by decorative laurel sprays. The Gallo-Roman Latin legend AUGUSTA AUSCORUM curves along the left and right periphery of the square flan, referencing the ancient name of the city. The design is rendered in low relief appropriate to the struck aluminium emergency issue.
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Reverse description Large bold numeral 25 dominates the centre of the square flan, with the denomination abbreviation C. positioned to the upper right of the figure. The legend VILLE D'AUCH arcs across the upper portion of the field, while the date 1916 is inscribed in the lower exergual area. Four small decorative rosette stops flank the central numeral at the cardinal points, adding symmetry to the spare but functional wartime design.
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Additional information

Auch, the prefecture of Gers in southwestern France, issued emergency aluminium fractional pieces in 1916 as wartime metal requisitioning and hoarding stripped small change from everyday commerce. The French state had effectively lost control of the centime denominations by mid-war, and hundreds of municipalities filled the gap with locally sanctioned nécessité tokens. Gers was among the less industrially significant departments to do so, which kept production volumes modest.

The El Monedero reference distinguishes at least two varieties for this type.

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