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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Clinker, post: 169359, member: 6229&quot;]<font size="3">You know the U.S., Canada and Japan had to vary the composition of their coinage during WWII, but do you know the difficulties that arose for France during this time?</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="3">A new government was formed in <i>Vichy</i>, France and it immediately allied itself with the occupying Germans. The, for some unknown reason, U.S. recognized this new <i>Vichy</i> government. Now remember, France held territories all over the world and struck the coinage for those protectorates. French Indo-China (now the nations of <i>Cambodia</i>, <i>Laos</i>, and <i>Vietnam</i>) became a problem. Because of the Japanese invasion people began hoarding coins so coins for commerce and trade became scarce.</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="3">In 1940 the Paris Mint, needing copper for their war effort, struck zinc one-centime coins featuring a Pyrgian cap (liberty cap). After France fell to the Germans June 30, 1940, the French Indo-China government, located in Hanoi, persuaded an engineering college (<i>Ecole Pratique</i>) to strike zinc one-centime coins. They crudely (weak reliefs) made both 1940 and 1941 pieces. KM 24.3 in the Krause World Coin Catalog.</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="3">Early in 1941 (before the attack on Pearl Harbor) before we entered into war with the Japanese a contract was entered into with the U.S. to strike 10 and 20 centimes coins. They bear San Francisco&#039;s &quot;S&quot; mintmark. KM21.1a and KM23.a2.</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="3"><i>Hanoi</i> fell to the Japanese on December 7, 1941 (same day as the Pearl Harber attack) so no more one centime coins by the engineering college. The Japanese government had the <i>Osaka</i> Mint strike 1/4-centime coins dated 1942 (KM25). With the U.S. involvement in the war, things started to deteriorate for the Japanese so very few of the 1/4-cent coins reached Indo-China. In 1943 the Japanese occupation forces in <i>Hanoi</i> authorized <i>Ecole Pratique</i> to strike one and five-centimes coins. KM26 and KM27</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="3">NOTE: you can tell the difference between the <i>Vichy</i> issues and the non-<i>Vichy</i> issues. The <i>Vichy</i> issues (including <i>Osaka</i> and <i>Ecole Pratique</i>) have the Legend <i>ETATS FRANCAISE </i>and the others carry the Legend <i>REPUBLIQUE FRANCAIS</i>.</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="3">I don&#039;t know of any other college being asked to strike any legal tender coins. Do you?</font></p><p><font size="3">Clinker. </font></p><p><font size="3"></font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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