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5 Centimes
| Issuer | Groupes Commerciaux de Versailles |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Centimes (0.05) |
| 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 | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central device comprises a crowned heraldic shield bearing the numeral '5' in large relief, flanked by laurel and oak branches symbolising civic honour and strength. A small triangular mintmark appears below the shield in the lower field. The circular legend 'GROUPES COMMERCIAUX DE VERSAILLES' arcs around the upper periphery, with the denomination numeral '5' and date '1918' completing the inscription around the lower portion of the field. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Issued by a consortium of Versailles merchants during WWI, this piece belongs to a category of French emergency commerce tokens that proliferated when small-denomination coinage disappeared from circulation entirely — hoarded by the public and consumed by wartime metal demands. The Groupes Commerciaux de Versailles was one of dozens of regional trade associations that filled the gap the French state could not. Zinc with nickel plating was the practical compromise of the moment, copper and nickel having been redirected to the war effort by 1915.