Catalog
5 Centimes
| Issuer | Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Commune of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | The municipal coat of arms of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is displayed at the center of the obverse, encircled by a wreath of olive branches. The issuer's name arcs along the upper periphery, with the denomination numeral '5' appearing in the field flanked by stars between the words of the legend. The engraver's name J. BORY appears within the inscription, and the legend references the commercial syndicate organizations at the base of the design. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain. |
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| Additional information |
Issued during the acute metal shortages of WWI, this aluminium token is one of hundreds of emergency necessity coins — monnaies de nécessité — produced by French municipalities, chambers of commerce, and local authorities when the wartime hoarding of bronze and copper coin stripped small-denomination currency from everyday circulation almost entirely. Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a prosperous suburb west of Paris long associated with the royal château, was among the smaller communes to issue independently rather than defer to a regional chamber.
Aluminium was the compromise material — unhoarded, light, and already available industrially.