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5 Centimes
| Issuer | Union des Commerçants Détaillants d'Épernay |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Thévenon |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The central field displays the large numeral '5' in bold relief, rendered in a decorative style with horizontal line engraving. Above the numeral, a cluster of grapes with vine leaves extends across the upper field, evoking the Champagne region's viticultural heritage. To the left, a caduceus symbol is visible in the field, and to the right additional fruiting vine motifs appear. The engraver's name THEVENON is inscribed in small capitals along the left rim, and the date 1922 appears in the lower exergue. |
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| Additional information |
Issued by the Union des Commerçants Détaillants d'Épernay — a retailers' association in the Champagne capital — this token belongs to a wave of privately produced emergency coinage that flooded provincial France after World War I stripped the country's small-denomination bronze coinage from circulation. The Chambers of Commerce and trade associations that filled this void operated under loose authorization from the French government, which lacked the mint capacity and metal stocks to meet demand itself.
Épernay's commercial district, rebuilt after significant German shelling during the war, had particular incentive to stabilize local retail exchange.