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2 Centavos
| Issuer | Câmara Municipal de Gaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the municipal crown of Gaia in relief, surmounted by a small decorative finial. The date 1921 appears in two vertical columns flanking the crown, reading upward on both sides. The toponym GAIA is inscribed in a straight legend along the lower portion of the field. The design is rendered entirely in white porcelain with a smooth, slightly domed surface typical of emergency porcelain token coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays the large numeral 2 prominently in the centre of the field, with the word CENTAVOS arranged in a circular legend around the lower half. The abbreviation C.M.G. (Câmara Municipal de Gaia), separated by dots, arcs across the upper portion of the field. A small star or ornament appears to the right of the legend. The entire design is rendered in raised relief on a plain white porcelain disc, consistent with the emergency token coinage issued by the municipality during the post-World War I small-change shortage. |
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| Additional information |
Gaia's municipal porcelain issues of 1921 belong to a wave of emergency local coinage that swept Portugal following the severe metal shortages of the post-WWI years. The national government's inability to supply adequate small change forced dozens of câmaras municipais to produce their own cédulas — both paper and, in a handful of cases, fired ceramic tokens. Gaia was among the very few to commit to porcelain rather than cardboard, contracting production that required kiln-firing rather than a printing press.
White porcelain examples are considerably scarcer than their colored counterparts from the same series.