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50 Centimes
| Issuer | Gouvernement Général de Madagascar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centimes (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REPVBLIQVE FRANÇAISE COLONIES POSTES 50 MADAGASCAR ET DEPENDANCES MOUCHON |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries a line-engraved vignette of a zebu — the humped bovine emblematic of Madagascar — rendered in profile facing left on an unadorned ground. The animal is executed with naturalistic precision, emphasising the characteristic thoracic hump, swept horns, and pendulous dewlap in fine intaglio strokes. The plain paper surround is unlettered. |
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| Comments |
The Gouvernement Général de Madagascar issued these emergency fractional notes because the war had drained metropolitan France of small coinage — coins were hoarded, melted, or simply never made it to the colony in sufficient quantities. The notes filled a gap that no one had planned for. Mouchon, best known for designing French postage stamps including the celebrated 1900 "Mouchon type," lent his stamp-design aesthetic directly to this format, which is why the note reads more like an enlarged fiscal stamp than a conventional banknote.
Wartime paper shortages in Madagascar meant print quality varied noticeably across the 1916–1919 run.