Catalog
100 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Algérie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939-1942 |
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| Designer(s) | Jacques Simon |
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| Obverse description | A vignette at left centre presents a three-quarter portrait of a turbaned Algerian man set against a mountainous landscape with palm trees and a North African village below. The denomination "CENT FRANCS" is inscribed in large letters across the centre, with the Arabic equivalent below, flanked by sheaves of wheat and decorative guilloche borders. The overprint "TUNISIE" appears vertically at right, with panel numerals, series letters, and three signature lines for the Directeur Général, the Caissier Principal, and the Secrétaire Général. |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Algérie operated under French metropolitan authority but functioned as a distinct colonial institution with its own note-issuing privilege — a status it had held since 1851. This series spans the years of Vichy administration in French North Africa, a period when Algeria remained outside direct German occupation but under a collaborationist government that enforced racial statutes and restricted Jewish participation in economic life. Notes from these years circulated through a profoundly disrupted colonial economy.
Camille Beltrand was among the most accomplished intaglio engravers working in France during the first half of the twentieth century, contributing to Banque de France issues as well. His presence on the obverse plate reflects genuine craft investment, not routine colonial production.