Catalog
1 Franc
| Issuer | Gouvernement Général de Madagascar et Dépendances |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Franc |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Green typographic vignette in the style of the French colonial postal stamp series, centred on an allegorical seated figure representing Commerce and Navigation after Mouchon's design. The denomination '1F' appears in large numerals at centre, with a red rectangular underprint below bearing the territorial inscription. The overall composition reproduces the standard Groupe type used across French colonial issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REPVBLIQVE FRANÇAISE COLONIES POSTES 1F MADAGASCAR ET DEPENDANCES MOUCHON |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Madagascar's Gouvernement Général issued these emergency fractional notes in 1920 to address a severe coin shortage that had plagued the island since the First World War disrupted metal supplies from France. The 1 Franc denomination falls within a small series of necessité notes — emergency paper substitutes for coin — a format that colonial administrations across French territories adopted with varying degrees of success during this period.
Mouchon was among the most accomplished French engravers of his generation, best known for his 1900 Mouchon stamp type used across the French Republic and colonies. His involvement here is a curious footnote — a figure associated with postage stamp design lending his hand to emergency scrip.