Catalog
10 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce de Constantine
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Constantine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Imp. Aubrino |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in dark brown on buff paper, the note is framed by an ornate border of Moorish-inspired interlaced geometric and floral motifs at each corner and along the edges, reflecting the North African context of the issuing authority. A central ribbon cartouche carries the issuer's name at the top, beneath which the denomination "BON POUR 0fr 10" is set in bold letterpress type. Two smaller text panels in the lower portion cite the deliberation date and the redeemability clause, with the engraver's credit "N. CHATILLON GRAVEUR" and printer's imprint "IMP. AUBRINO" inscribed along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in dark brown on buff paper, the reverse shares the same Moorish-inspired ornamental border as the obverse, with interlaced geometric star and floral corner pieces framing the composition. A ribbon cartouche at the top bears the issuer's name, below which the crowned municipal arms of Constantine — a shield charged with a chevron — is centered between the manuscript signatures of the President and the Treasurer, each identified by their respective title. Two lower text panels repeat the deliberation date and the redeemability clause, with the engraver and printer credits along the bottom margin. |
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| Comments |
Constantine's Chamber of Commerce resorted to these small emergency notes in 1915 because the wartime metal shortage had effectively stripped North African markets of small-denomination coinage — bronze and nickel were being pulled back to France for the war effort. Local commercial chambers across Algeria and metropolitan France were authorized under emergency decree to fill the gap with paper bons de monnaie, and dozens did exactly that.
Aubrino was a local Constantine printer, not a specialist security firm. Chatillon's engraving credit is unusual for a note this small and this modest in purpose.