Description

From 1947 to 1956 the Saarland was a French-occupied territory (the "Saar Protectorate") separate from the rest of Germany after its defeat in World War II; it was administered by the French Fourth Republic. On rejoining West Germany in 1957, it became the smallest "area state" (Flächenland), the Saarland, not counting the "city states" (Stadtstaaten) of Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen.

The inhabitants of the Saar Protectorate used money (Saar franc) issued specially for the territory. All four coins of Saar Protectorate were identical to the official French coins in color, size and weight, only the writing and the picture was different. There were no genuine smaller coins, as the usual French coins (1, 2, 5 francs) were used instead. All French coins were accepted in the protectorate, whereas the Saar coins were usually not accepted in France, except in the bigger cities adjacent to the border.

Engraver: Theo Siegle