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Contemporary counterfeit - 1 Franc Morlon
| Issuer | |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938 |
| Type | Contemporary counterfeit coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | REPVBLIQVE FRANÇAISE MORLON |
| Reverse description | Denomination numeral 1 and the inscription FRANC occupy the central field, flanked on either side by cornucopiae overflowing with fruit, flowers, and produce. The revolutionary motto LIBERTE-EGALITE / FRATERNITE is distributed across the upper portion of the reverse, and the date 1938 appears in the lower exergue. The overall design faithfully imitates the Morlon-type 1 Franc coinage, executed in cast lead rather than the official struck aluminum-bronze. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Contemporary counterfeits of the aluminum-bronze Franc Morlon circulated widely in late Third Republic France, where economic depression and hoarding had thinned the supply of genuine small change. Lead was the forger's material of choice: cheap, easy to cast, and heavy enough to approximate the heft of the real coin in a brief transaction. Cast rather than struck, these pieces typically lack the sharp detail of a minted original, though they passed readily enough in poor lighting or rushed commerce.