Catalog
1 Centavo Gondomar
| Issuer | Câmara Municipal de Gondomar |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Reference(s) | MA#1053 |
| Obverse description | Dark blue letterpress print on white paper. The Portuguese Arms appear as a circular vignette at upper centre, flanked by scrollwork. A guilloche-bordered medallion at lower left bears the numeral '1' within a wreath, with the word 'CENTAVO' inscribed along its lower arc. The four corner diagonals carry the monogram 'C.M.G.' The entire design is framed by a decorative geometric border. A manuscript signature of the President of the Executive Commission appears at centre right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 1 CENTAVO MONTE DO CRASTO (Translation: 1 Centavo / Mount of Crasto) |
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| Comments |
Gondomar's municipal chamber was among hundreds of Portuguese local authorities that issued small-denomination paper cédulas during the acute coin shortage that gripped Portugal from roughly 1917 onward. The shortage was a direct consequence of wartime metal requisitioning — copper and bronze coinage disappeared from circulation as the state prioritized military supply, leaving ordinary commercial transactions paralyzed at the centavo level.
These municipal issues were authorized under emergency decree but produced locally, with quality varying wildly from one câmara to the next. Gondomar, a small municipality east of Porto, produced modest runs that saw hard daily use and rarely survived intact.