Catalog
25 Centimes
| Issuer | Unions Commerciales d'Oyonnax et Bellegarde |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | Square flan with rounded corners and a beaded border running along all four sides. The field bears the circular legend 'UNIONS COMMERCIALES' arcing across the upper portion, with 'OYONNAX' centered horizontally in the middle of the field, 'BELLEGARDE' below it, and '(AIN)' inscribed at the base, all in incuse Latin lettering identifying the two issuing communes of the Ain department. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Square flan with rounded corners and a beaded border. The reverse features the large denomination numeral '25' prominently displayed in the center of the field, with a superscript 'c' to the upper right denoting centimes, and a horizontal dash or trait below the 'c' whose vertical position serves as the distinguishing characteristic between the two known varieties (El Mon.# 10.3a and 10.3b). The design is plain and utilitarian, consistent with French WWI-era municipal emergency coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Oyonnax and Bellegarde are neighboring towns in the Ain département, and their commercial unions issued emergency aluminium small change during the chronic coin shortages that plagued provincial France in the years surrounding World War I. These local chamber tokens filled a genuine transactional gap when the French state failed to supply sufficient fractional coinage. Aluminium was the material of necessity — cheap, abundant, and easy to strike in small quantities.
The joint issuing arrangement between two distinct commercial bodies is unusual and suggests coordinated effort across the Valserine valley trade network.