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2 Francs
| Issuer | Government of Madagascar and Dependencies |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The obverse reproduces the design of the Madagascar et Dépendances 2-franc postage stamp, printed in blue and green, with a central vignette of agricultural workers transporting goods on a litter against a hilly townscape background. The denomination '2f' appears in a white panel at lower left, flanked by decorative geometric borders. The inscriptions 'POSTES', 'R', 'F', and 'MADAGASCAR et DÉPENDANCES' frame the composition at top and bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | POSTES R F MADAGASCAR et DÉPENDANCES 2f |
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| Comments |
Madagascar had no locally established bank of issue in 1916 capable of responding to the wartime coin shortage that gripped French colonial territories across the globe. The metropolitan solution was a simple one: emergency cardboard or paper notes, known as bons de caisse, authorized by the colonial government itself rather than by any banking institution. This series was part of that broader improvisation, issued under direct governmental authority as small-denomination coinage substitutes while metal was being absorbed by the war effort in Europe.
Turlot's engraving credit suggests plate work done within the French printing establishment, though attribution to a specific press for Madagascar's 1916 emergency issues is not always clean-cut.