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| Issuer | Ville de Mascara (Département d'Oran) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Centimes (0.10) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | VILLE DE MASCARA BON POUR 10c Délibération du Conseil Municipal (Translation: Town of Mascara. Good for 10 centimes. Deliberation of the Municipal Council.) |
| Reverse description | Typeset in dark ink on light green paper, the reverse carries the denomination legend 'DIX CENTIMES' in large bold letterpress type across the upper portion, beneath which a manuscript validation stamp in blue ink appears. A typeset serial number prefixed by 'No' is positioned in the lower half, with the printer's imprint 'IMP MUSELLI' set vertically along the right margin. |
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| Comments |
Mascara's municipal emergency notes were a product of the wartime coin shortage that swept French Algeria from 1915 onward — metal was needed for the front, and small change effectively vanished from circulation. The Ville de Mascara, like dozens of Algerian communes, responded by commissioning its own local scrip rather than waiting for Paris to solve the problem. Imprimerie Muselli printed these locally, which shows in the modest typography.
These small-denomination municipal issues circulated almost entirely within the issuing town and were theoretically redeemable at the municipal cashier. In practice, redemption was irregular, and many were simply worn out of existence.