102431 | FRANCE. Marseille. Savon "Le Chat" aluminum Token of "20 Unités."

102431  |  FRANCE. Marseille. Savon "Le Chat" aluminum Advertising Token of "20 Units." Issued circa 1925 (42mm, 9.87 g, 10h).

 

SAVON LE CHAT / C FERRIER MARSEILLE, facing head of cat within circular and octagonal border / Ste DU JETON PRIME PARIS 1910-1925 / 20 UNITÉS, diademed bust of Cyrnos left. Edge: Some marks as made, otherwise plain.

 

Mint State. Slate gray surfaces with enchanting brilliance and a slight pullaway nature to the color. A fairly scarce and interesting advertising jeton from post-WWI France.

 

Ferrier was a soap maker who founded his company in Marseille in 1853, with his "Le Chat" brand being a popular detergent for washing clothes. By the turn of the century, the company started producing smaller bars of soap intended for personal hygiene. In 1909, they added a washing powder to their line of products. The company is still in operation today, popular for its manufacturing of a natural, biodegradable formula for cleaning hands.

 

This token served as an advertising piece for the company, with the added benefit of being used as a form of money during the economic instability in the middle-war years.

 

Upload: 1 May 2023.