France 5 Centimes Sower Matolin Emergency Currency

France · 1915 · 5 centimes

A circular emergency currency token featuring a French 5 centimes Sower definitive stamp affixed to its center. The token itself is likely made of metal or plastic and bears advertising for 'Peintures Matolin' from Paris.

This item is a 'monnaie de nécessité' (emergency currency) issued by a private business, Peintures Matolin, during a period of coin shortage in France, likely World War I. Such tokens were common substitutes for small change when official coinage was scarce.