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0,50 Franc
| Issuer | Government of Madagascar and Dependencies |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | ½ Franc |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | POSTES 50c MADAGASCAR ET DEPENDANCES |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries a central vignette of a zebu bull in profile, rendered in a simple typographic print on plain cardboard. The text 'Lastroa' runs vertically along the left margin, and the denomination '0,50 cent' is inscribed vertically along the right margin. The overall impression is austere, reflecting the emergency nature of this wartime stamp-money issue. |
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| Comments |
Madagascar's World War One emergency cardboard fractional issues were a direct response to the near-total disappearance of metallic coinage from circulation after 1914. With silver and bronze drained toward the war effort, the colonial administration in Tananarive authorized these stiff cardboard pieces as provisional substitutes — more token than banknote, yet issued under formal government authority.
The cardboard substrate makes survivorship a genuine problem. Humidity in Madagascar is brutal on paper goods, and these pieces were never designed for longevity. P#33C is the rarest of the three 50-centime variants distinguished by minor typographic differences in the issuing text.