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10 Centimes Alger Chamber of Commerce
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Alger |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Centimes (0.10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | 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 script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The large denomination numeral '10' dominates the central field, rendered with fine horizontal line engraving, accompanied by a small cursive 'c' abbreviation to the right denoting centimes. An oak branch rises along the left side of the field while an olive branch curves along the lower right, the two sprigs tied together at the base. The design is enclosed within a beaded border, and a small engraver's mark appears near the lower left interior. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Algeria's formal colonial coinage was chronically undersupplied during World War I, with metropolitan France unable to provision the territory adequately while fighting on the Western Front. The Algiers Chamber of Commerce stepped in as a quasi-monetary authority, issuing aluminum tokens that circulated by necessity rather than by any formal legal mandate. Several French colonial chambers did the same across North Africa during this period, a patchwork response to a system-wide shortage that nobody in Paris had planned for.
The aluminum composition was not an aesthetic choice — it was the only commercially available metal not subject to wartime requisition at scale.