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4 Centavos
| Issuer | Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Centavos (0.04 PTE) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features a molded mural crown in relief, symbolizing municipal authority, flanked on either side by the date 1921 reading vertically along the rim. Below the crown, the inscription GAIA appears in raised Latin capitals, identifying the issuing municipality. The design is rendered in white glazed porcelain with a raised rim encircling the entire composition. The overall style is characteristic of Portuguese municipal emergency coinage of the early twentieth century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 1921 GAIA |
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| Additional information |
Vila Nova de Gaia issued emergency porcelain tokens in 1921 during a nationwide coin shortage that had been grinding through Portugal since the disruptions of World War I. The central government's inability to supply adequate small change pushed dozens of Portuguese municipalities and private entities to produce their own fiduciary tokens — cédulas and fichas in various materials including cardboard, brass, and in rare cases, glazed ceramic. Gaia's porcelain pieces were manufactured locally and intended strictly for circulation within municipal limits.
Porcelain municipal issues from this period are among the most fragile survivors of the Portuguese emergency money phenomenon.