50 Céntimos Zorita

Zorita is a small municipality in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura — deep Republican territory during the early phase of the Civil War. Like hundreds of Spanish municipalities in 1937, it was forced to print its own fractional currency after silver and copper coinage vanished almost entirely from circulation, hoarded or melted down as the war disrupted the monetary supply chain. These local emergency issues, collectively known as *billetes de necesidad*, were authorised under a Republican decree that gave municipal councils the legal cover to do what they were already doing out of desperation.

The thick card stock was a practical choice — small paper notes of this size disintegrate quickly in daily use, and municipalities without printing infrastructure often had access to card before they had access to proper banknote paper.