Madagascar's tiny fractional notes of 1916 were emergency substitutes for coined small change, which had effectively disappeared from circulation after wartime metal shortages hit French colonial territories hard. The 0,05 Franc sat at the absolute bottom of the denomination ladder — worth so little that few recipients bothered preserving them.
That disposability is precisely why survivors are uncommon. These saw hard daily use and were rarely set aside.
Madagascar's tiny fractional notes of 1916 were emergency substitutes for coined small change, which had effectively disappeared from circulation after wartime metal shortages hit French colonial territories hard. The 0,05 Franc sat at the absolute bottom of the denomination ladder — worth so little that few recipients bothered preserving them.
That disposability is precisely why survivors are uncommon. These saw hard daily use and were rarely set aside.