Essai-piéfort de 50 centimes Chambres de commerce

The Chambres de Commerce emergency issues emerged from the acute coin shortage that struck France during and immediately after the First World War, when the hoarding of metallic currency and the disruption of normal minting operations left the country's commercial infrastructure scrambling for small-change substitutes. Regional chambers of commerce were authorized to produce their own token coinage — a decentralized solution that produced dozens of local types across France between roughly 1916 and 1924.

This piéfort essai is a double-thickness trial strike, produced for archival or approval purposes rather than circulation. GEM 82 is among the rarer chamber types in piéfort format.