Catalog
5 Centimes
| Issuer | Afrique Occidentale Française - Côte d'Ivoire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Centimes (0.05) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANÇAISE CÔTE D'IVOIRE VALEUR D'ÉCHANGE 0 FR. 05 E. FROMENT J. DE LA NEZIERE 5c. |
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| Reverse lettering | Valeur d'échange 0 fr. 05 |
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| Comments |
French West Africa's postage stamp emergency currency is one of the stranger episodes in colonial monetary history. A wartime metal shortage had already pushed France to issue stamp-money (monnaie de nécessité) at home, and the same logic was applied in the AOF territories — existing postage stamps were mounted onto stiff cardboard and issued as fractional currency. The Côte d'Ivoire series of 1920 represents a later, regional application of that stopgap, well after the armistice had rendered the original emergency moot.
De La Nézière's engraving work appears on the stamp itself rather than the card mount.