Belgian bread tokens

[FosseWay]

Got these recently but haven't been able to find out much about them.

What I've gleaned is that they're Belgian and not Dutch, that they are bread vouchers, that 'Vooruit' (Forward) is some kind of trade union organisation, and that the date 1880 refers to the foundation of Vooruit and isn't the date of the tokens.

Which leaves a number of questions unanswered...

- When were they issued?
- What is the significance, if any, of the different types?
- What were they for? Emergency rations doled out to striking workers by the union? Something related to WW1 rationing?
- The brass one just says 'Vooruit' across the allegorical female figure, but the aluminium one adds 'Gewest Dendermonde'. Why?
- I'd hazard a guess that 'De namaker zal vervolgd worden' means 'Counterfeiters will be prosecuted' or similar. Is it normal to have this kind of warning on a token?

Brass one: 21.8 mm, 3.22 g
Aluminium one: 23.1mm 1.16 g

[Figleaf]

See:

http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,5228.0.html (5 Francs)
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,16972.msg116889.html#msg116889 (1 Franc)
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,11156.0.html (other values)

Peter

[FosseWay]

Aha, thank you. I did have a quick look through the topic titles but didn't find anything that stood out. Do I take it that the 1 on my pieces is the denomination in francs, then? I had presumed it meant 1 loaf (or given unit of weight) of bread.