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1 Franc
| Issuer | Economic Region of Algeria |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| 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 | Blue letterpress note with an ornate cartouche at centre bearing the denomination UN FRANC in large bold letters with Arabic script فرنك below. The heading RÉGION ÉCONOMIQUE D'ALGÉRIE arches across the top border, with DÉLIBÉRATION DU 31 JANVIER 1944 inscribed beneath. A vignette of palm trees and stylised vegetation flanks the central cartouche, and the lower inscription states that the note is exchangeable against Banque de l'Algérie bills at the public treasuries of the three Algerian departments before 1 March 1949. Three manuscript signature lines for the Vice-Président Délégué, Trésorier Adjoint, and Trésorier appear across the middle, with series and serial number Sé H4 N° 512.856 at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Blue letterpress reverse with a dense guilloche underprint formed by the repeated legend RÉGION ÉCONOMIQUE D'ALGÉRIE filling the entire central field. A bold oval cartouche at centre carries the numeral 1 above the legend un franc with Arabic script فرنك below. Four heraldic shields of the Algerian departments occupy the corners, with a crowned coat of arms vignette at the top centre and a smaller crowned device at bottom centre. The lower border reads CONTRE-VALEUR DÉPOSÉE AU TRÉSOR. |
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| Comments |
Issued by the Economic Region of Algeria rather than any metropolitan French authority, this 1944 series reflects the administrative improvisation that followed the Allied landings in North Africa. With France still occupied and the Banque de l'Algérie unable to meet small-denomination demand, regional authorities commissioned Jules Carbonel — an Algiers commercial printer, not a security printing house — to produce emergency fractional notes.
That choice of printer matters. Carbonel had no intaglio capability; these were produced by lithography, which left them vulnerable to counterfeiting and contributed to their rapid withdrawal once normal supply chains recovered after Liberation.