5 Francs - Third Republic Bazor

Joseph Bazor's design was selected in 1933 to replace the aging Lindauer type, though the timing was unfortunate — France was deep into the Great Depression, and hoarding had already begun to pull silver from circulation. Nickel was the pragmatic answer. The type saw only a brief run before wartime disruptions and Vichy-era recoinage programs swept away much of the Third Republic's surviving small change.