5 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce - Rouen [76] Brass

France's regional chambers of commerce began issuing emergency token coinage in 1914 when wartime metal requisitions and hoarding drained small-denomination coins from everyday circulation. Rouen's chamber was among dozens that stepped in to fill the gap, producing locally authorized brass pieces that merchants and citizens agreed to accept in lieu of state coinage. By 1918, this improvised parallel currency had been running for four years — an indication of how thoroughly the official supply had collapsed, not recovered.