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50 Centimes
| Issuer | Guadeloupe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1903-1921 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.6 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE A . PATEY GUADELOUPE ET DÉPENDANCES (Translation: French Republic, Guadeloupe and dependencies) |
| Reverse description | A centrally placed sugar cane plant, depicted with broad arching leaves at the base and tall upright fronds rising from the centre, divides the denomination numeral 50 to the left and the abbreviation CMES to the right. The legend BON POUR arcs across the upper field, and the circular inscription CONTRE.VALEUR.DÉPOSÉE.AU.TRÉSOR. runs along the lower periphery, separated by raised dots. The date appears in two parts — 19 to the left and 21 to the right — at the base of the sugar cane stalk, framed by the plant's roots. The overall composition is emblematic of Guadeloupe's sugar-producing economy and the token nature of this colonial issue. |
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| Additional information |
Guadeloupe's coinage was administered through the Établissements français de l'Océanie monetary framework, with locally-specific issues authorized separately from metropolitan France precisely because the colonies maintained distinct commercial ecosystems tied to sugar and rum economies rather than the franc zone proper. The 50 centimes type ran across nearly two decades with no mid-series design revision — unusual for a colonial issue spanning both the pre- and post-WWI periods.
All pieces were struck at the Paris Mint. Copper-nickel was chosen partly to resist the humidity and salt air that accelerated corrosion of bronze coinage throughout the French Antilles.