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25 Centimes
| Issuer | Mechelen, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 92 × 54 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central intaglio vignette of a large civic building rendered in fine line engraving, enclosed within a decorative frame of columns entwined with climbing foliage. Bilingual municipal inscriptions in French and Dutch are arranged around the architectural vignette, with the denomination stated in both languages. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | STAD MECHELEN - GOED VOOR VIJFENTWINTIG CENTIEMEN - Date : 04.OCT.1917. A. GEUDENS DEL. GER. POORTMAN & G. MINGUET |
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| Comments |
Mechelen issued its own fractional emergency notes during the German occupation because the enforced withdrawal of Belgian coinage left ordinary commerce paralyzed. These hyperlocal emissions — produced and redeemed entirely within the city — were a civilian workaround, not a banking instrument. Dozens of Belgian municipalities did the same between 1914 and 1918, each printing its own scrip to keep markets functioning under occupation.
Geudens designed and Poortman and Minguet engraved this locally — an unusual degree of craft for what was essentially a necessity note. Most municipal issues of this period relied on letterpress typography alone.