Catalog
2 Francs
| Issuer | Régence de Tunis |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Designer(s) | A. Beau Fils & Cie, Tunis |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | RÉGENCE DE TUNIS VALEUR ÉCHANGEABLE CONTRE DES BILLETS DE LA BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE DEUX FRANCS DÉCRET DU 27 AVRIL 1918 16 REDJEB 1336 LE CONTREFACTEUR EST PUNI DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS À PERPÉTUITÉ PROTECTORAT FRANÇAIS LITH. A. BEAU FILS & CIE TUNIS IMP. YVORRA BARLIER & CLAVÉ TUNIS هاته التذكرة قابلة للمبادلة بتذاكر البانكة الجزائرية فرنكان الامر العلي المؤرخ في 27 افريل 1918 (في 16 رجب 1336) المدلس يعاقب بالاشغال الشاقة على الابد |
| Reverse description | Brown lithograph reverse with a fine geometric guilloche underprint covering the entire field in a diagonal lattice pattern. The circular arms stamp of the Protectorat Français — Régence de Tunis is applied at centre, enclosing a crowned heraldic shield flanked by figures, with the denomination "2F" at the base. The legend "DIRECTION GÉNÉRALE DES FINANCES" curves across the middle register, and numeral corner pieces occupy all four angles within the ornamental border. |
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| Comments |
These small-denomination emergency notes were introduced because the First World War had drained metallic currency from circulation across French-administered territories. Tunisia, as a French protectorate, issued them through the Direction Générale des Finances rather than any banking institution — an unusual arrangement reflecting wartime administrative improvisation rather than normal monetary channels.
Printed entirely in Tunis by a local firm, this is one of the few Tunisian issues of the period without any metropolitan French printing involvement. The Yvorra, Barlier & Clavé press handled both design execution and production locally, which shows in the typography.