Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce d'Oran
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Oran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Local banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Blue letterpress reverse with a restrained decorative border and two circular '1 fr' medallions flanking the centre. A central vignette in the lower half shows two putti supporting the circular seal of the Chambre de Commerce d'Oran, flanked by olive branches and sheaves of grain. The issuer title CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'ORAN appears at top, with the authorising deliberation date below. A large red overprint '1918' dominates the centre field, indicating the year of revalidation. The printer imprint appears in the lower right margin. |
| Reverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'ORAN Délibération du 10 Novembre 1915 IMP. MOULLOT MARSEILLE |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Wartime necessity drove French Algeria's chambers of commerce to issue their own emergency fractional currency from 1915 onward, as the mobilization drained small coin from circulation almost immediately after August 1914. Oran's chamber was among the most prolific issuers in the colony, producing multiple denominations across several series throughout the war years.
Moullot fils aîné, a well-established Marseille commercial printer, handled the production — the same firm responsible for several other Algerian chambre issues of the period. The watermarked paper was the primary security measure against local counterfeiting, a real concern given how widely these notes circulated in lieu of official coinage.