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1 Franc Oran
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Oran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Franc |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The central vignette presents an Algerian woman in traditional dress holding a jar in her right hand, flanked on one side by a seated Hercules figure and on the other by a peasant harnessing two oxen, all enclosed within a decorative letterpress border with guilloche ornaments. Denomination panels marked '1fr' appear at the upper corners, with the issuing authority title across the top. Signature lines for the President and Treasurer are printed below the central composition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in blue on cream paper, the reverse carries the issuing authority title within a ribbon-and-foliage cartouche at the top. At centre, two putti flank the oval seal of the Chambre de Commerce d'Oran, surrounded by agricultural and mercantile trophies, with guilloche roundels bearing '1fr' at left and right. The deliberation date and printer's imprint appear along the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Chambre de Commerce d'Oran issued these small-denomination notes in 1915 as an emergency response to the acute coin shortage that swept France and its territories in the early war years — hoarding of metal currency had virtually emptied circulation within months of mobilization. Chambers of commerce across metropolitan France and Algeria were authorized to fill the gap, producing what became known collectively as monnaie de nécessité.
Moullot fils aîné in Marseille printed for numerous Algerian and southern French issuers during this period, making them the default press for much of the regional emergency paper. The six Pick variants under JP#141-08 through 13 reflect serial range and date distinctions rather than meaningful design changes.