Contemporary counterfeit - 1 Franc Morlon

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.