Catalog
15 Centimos Barcelona; Ferrocarril Metropolitano Transversal
| Issuer | Ferrocarril Metropolitano Transversal de Barcelona |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936-1939 |
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| In circulation to | Yes |
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| Obverse description | Thick orange card stock with all text letterpress-printed in violet ink. The issuer name is set in three abbreviated lines at the upper portion, followed by the voucher legend "VALE POR" in bold, enlarged type at centre, with the denomination "15 c" in heavy numerals directly below. A typeset serial number appears at the lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | F. C. METROPOLITANO DE BARCELONA VALE POR 15 c (Translation: Barcelona Metropolitan Railway. Voucher for 15 Centimos.) |
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| Comments |
The Ferrocarril Metropolitano Transversal was Barcelona's cross-city underground line, and during the Civil War years the anarcho-syndicalist unions effectively took over operation of the city's public utilities — including the metro. These small-denomination transport vouchers were issued when the collapse of the Republican monetary system left ordinary copper and small silver coinage almost entirely absent from daily circulation. Municipalities, collectives, businesses, and transit operators all printed their own emergency fractional currency to fill the gap.
Alarcia's catalogue lists this as AL#1199, placing it within the broader Catalan Civil War emergency issues. Condition is frequently poor — these were handled daily by commuters, not saved.