Catalog
5 Centimos Barcelona; Gran Metro C. N. T.
| Issuer | Gran Metro C.N.T. (Barcelona) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936-1939 |
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| In circulation to | Yes |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | GRAN METRO C. N. T. A. n.º 23718 0'05 Céntimos Billete valedero como moneda fraccionaria. (Translation: Banknote valid as fractional currency.) |
| Reverse description | Reverse is unprinted, consisting of plain orange card stock with no text, vignette, or decorative elements. |
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| Comments |
The Gran Metro in Barcelona was collectivized by the anarcho-syndicalist CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo) following the July 1936 military uprising, part of a sweeping worker takeover of Catalan industry and transport infrastructure. With coin circulation effectively paralyzed — silver and copper hoarded or melted almost immediately after the fighting began — transit operators across Republican Spain issued their own fractional tokens and cardboard notes to keep daily commerce moving. This piece is one of those emergency substitutes.
CNT-issued transport scrip from the Barcelona metro is among the more historically loaded of the Civil War emergency issues, produced by a workforce that had genuinely seized, rather than merely managed, the system they ran.