5 Francs Stembert

Stembert was a small industrial commune in the Vesdre valley, absorbed into Verviers in 1977. Like hundreds of Belgian communes caught off-guard by the German invasion in August 1914, Stembert issued emergency paper money when coin disappeared almost overnight — hoarded by the public, requisitioned by occupying forces, or simply driven out of circulation by the sudden collapse of confidence. These local bons de caisse were technically obligations of the municipal government, redeemable in theory once normal conditions returned.

Provincial Liège issues from 1914 are among the more ephemeral of Belgian notgeld — small print runs, heavy local circulation, and no central archiving. Condition survivors are disproportionately rare relative to their nominal issue volume.