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| Issuer | Casa da Moeda (Portugal) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Green-toned reverse of plain design, dominated by a large central numeral "5" set within an oval guilloche surround. The word "CENTAVOS" appears in bold letterpress to the left and right of the numeral, with smaller "5" counters in ruled circles at each upper corner, all framed by acanthus scroll border ornaments. |
| Reverse lettering | CENTAVOS 5 CENTAVOS |
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| Comments |
Portugal's wartime copper shortage was severe enough by 1918 that the Casa da Moeda began issuing small-denomination paper cédulas to substitute for coins that simply weren't reaching circulation. These 5 centavos notes — technically emergency fractional currency — were produced in-house in Lisbon at a moment when the mint was simultaneously struggling to meet coinage demand driven by World War I metal requisitions.
The P#R1 designation places this among Portugal's recognized local and regional issues, a category that reflects how improvised the solution was. Surviving examples frequently show heavy fold wear consistent with handling as pocket change.