Catalog
2 Francs
| Issuer | Régence de Tunis, Direction Générale des Finances |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Printer | Lithographie A. Beau fils & Cie, Tunis |
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| Obverse description | Brown intaglio print on plain paper. Central text panel bears the denomination DEUX FRANCS in large letters with Arabic equivalent below, flanked by floral branch vignettes. Decree date 4 Novembre 1918 / 29 Moharrem 1337 appears mid-field, with series and serial number at lower left and right; two manuscript signatures below. |
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| Obverse lettering | RÉGENCE DE TUNIS VALEUR ÉCHANGEABLE CONTRE DES BILLETS DE LA BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE هاته التذكرة قابلة للمبادلة بتذاكر البانكة الجزائرية DEUX FRANCS فرنكان SÉRIE 036 Decret du 4 Novembre 1918 29 Moharrem 1337 للأمر العلي المورخ في 4 نوفامبر 1918 وفي 29 محرم 1337 LE TRÉSORIER GÉNÉRAL DE TUNISIE LE DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DES FINANCES LE CONTREFACTEUR EST PUNI DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS À PERPÉTUITÉ المدلس يعاقب بالأشغال الشاقة على الأبد PROTECTORAT FRANÇAIS |
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| Comments |
The Régence de Tunis 2 Francs of 1918 belongs to an emergency small-denomination series authorized during World War One, when the withdrawal of metallic coinage — silver especially — created acute shortages across French North Africa. The protectorate administration was forced to issue paper substitutes for coins that had effectively disappeared from circulation.
Pick 44 is among the more elusive of the wartime Tunisian issues. The notes were intended as temporary and treated accordingly; survival rates are low relative to their original print run.