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0.50 Franc / 50 Centimes Chamber of Commerce of Oran
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Oran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 84 × 53 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'ORAN CINQUANTE CENTIMES Le Président Le Trésorier N° 153,026 |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Watermark visible in the paper stock. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Oran's Chamber of Commerce, like dozens of French colonial and metropolitan chambers in the early 1920s, was still issuing small-denomination emergency paper well after the First World War's metal shortages had nominally eased. These fractional notes persisted because low-value coinage remained genuinely scarce in circulation — the French Treasury was slow to replenish the smaller denominations, and local commerce couldn't wait.
Moullot fils aîné was the dominant commercial printer for North African auxiliary currency of this period, handling similar emergency issues from Algiers and other Algerian chambers. The watermark is the only security concession — modest, but sufficient for a note few would bother counterfeiting at half a franc.