5 Francs - Villes de Roubaix et de Tourcoing [59]

Roubaix and Tourcoing were among the first French towns occupied by German forces in October 1914, and both municipalities began issuing emergency paper money almost immediately. This joint issue is unusual — two independent communes sharing a single instrument — and reflects the administrative improvisation forced by occupation. German authorities permitted local scrip to keep the civilian economy from seizing up entirely, though they retained tight control over what could circulate.

The watermark is the only security measure on a note that was never designed to last. Most surviving examples from this series show heavy fold wear from pocket circulation in wartime conditions.