Catalog
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 | The obverse is dominated by an intaglio-printed central vignette of Malagasy rice field workers in a rural landscape, with a townscape visible in the background. A blue guilloche border frames the design on all sides, with the letters R and F flanking the word POSTES at the top. The denomination 50c appears in a framed panel at lower centre, with the colonial legend MADAGASCAR ET DÉPENDANCES inscribed along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a single central intaglio vignette of a standing hound in profile, rendered in fine line engraving on plain cream-toned paper. The engraver's name TURLOT appears in small lettering at the lower right of the vignette. The surrounding paper is largely unprinted, giving the reverse a stark, utilitarian appearance consistent with wartime emergency currency issues. |
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| Comments |
Madagascar's Government notes of this period were emergency issues, born from the disruption of WWI supply lines that made it nearly impossible to import sufficient coin and banknotes from metropolitan France. The colonial administration responded by issuing its own fractional paper — legally authorized but improvised in character. These low-denomination emergency obligations circulated alongside the notes of the Banque de Madagascar et des Comores, filling a gap the banking system couldn't cover.
Turlot was an engraver working within the French colonial printing establishment, though attribution on this series is thin. Paper survival is poor — wartime humidity and heavy daily handling destroyed most examples.