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0,50 Franc
| Issuer | Government of Madagascar and Dependencies |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a central vignette derived from a colonial-era postage stamp of Madagascar et Dépendances, printed in brown and olive tones, showing a rural harvesting scene with figures working in a field against a town skyline. The stamp vignette is enclosed within a decorative border with the inscription POSTES and the initials R F (République Française) at upper left and right, with the denomination 50 C. displayed in a bold box at lower centre. The overall composition retains the stamp's typographic and pictorial elements, characteristic of emergency small-change notes of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed on plain pale buff paper and carries a central intaglio vignette of a zebu bull standing in profile to the left, rendered with fine line engraving. The word Lasiroa is inscribed vertically along the left margin, and the denomination 0,50 appears vertically along the right margin in bold numerals. The composition is minimal and utilitarian, consistent with the emergency bon de caisse character of this issue. |
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| Comments |
Madagascar's wartime small-denomination notes came about because coin shortages during World War One made low-value fractional currency effectively impossible to keep in circulation — metal was needed elsewhere, and the colony's supply chains were badly disrupted. The Government of Madagascar and Dependencies stepped in with paper fractional issues to fill the gap, a stopgap measure repeated across French colonial territories during this period.
The P#31 series is among the scarcer colonial French fractional issues. Small notes of this type were frequently worn to illegibility and discarded rather than redeemed, which accounts for the survival rate.