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1 Franc
| Issuer | Gouvernement Général de Madagascar et Dépendances |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Value | ½ Franc |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green-toned vignette of a seated allegorical female figure in classical robes, rendered in an engraved style typical of early French colonial emergency currency. The denomination "0F50" appears in a central panel beneath the figure. A rectangular red overprint at the base carries the inscription "MADAGASCAR ET DÉPENDANCES" identifying the issuing colony. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain pale ground bearing a central vignette of a zebu bull in profile facing left, executed in a sparse intaglio-style line engraving characteristic of French colonial provisional issues. The design is minimal, with no additional inscriptions or border ornamentation visible. |
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| Comments |
Madagascar's Gouvernement Général issued these small-denomination franc notes in 1920 to address a chronic coin shortage that had plagued the island since the First World War disrupted metal supplies to French colonial territories. The notes were essentially a local emergency measure — metropolitan France had its own coin shortages to manage, and the colonies were largely left to improvise.
Pick 1C is part of a series that also includes 50 centimes and 2 franc values. Survival rates are low; these circulated hard in a cash-hungry economy and the paper held up poorly in Madagascar's humid climate.