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5 Centimes - Unions commerciales
| Issuer | Unions Commerciales d'Oyonnax et Bellegarde (Ain) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.9 g |
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| Obverse description | The full name of the issuing body is inscribed across four lines in the field, reading UNIONS COMMERCIALES / OYONNAX / BELLEGARDE / (AIN), with the legend UNIONS COMMERCIALES arching along the upper periphery. A small decorative floral or star ornament separates the curved legend from the town names below. The inscription is rendered in raised capital letters against a plain, unadorned field, with no central effigy or device. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Issued by a merchant cooperative in the Ain département during the coin shortage that gripped France in the early 1920s, this token is one of dozens of hyperlocal commercial union issues that briefly substituted for state coinage in small French towns. Oyonnax and Bellegarde were both industrial centers — Oyonnax already establishing itself as the plastics and combs manufacturing hub it would become — and their merchants pooled issuance to manage day-to-day small transactions the Monnaie de Paris simply wasn't supplying at the time.