Catalog
2 Francs
| Issuer | Régence de Tunis |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Bilingual note in French and Arabic, with the central field bearing the denomination DEUX FRANCS in large letterpress type above the Arabic equivalent فرنكان, flanked by a pair of Art Nouveau-style caryatid vignettes. The upper border carries the inscription RÉGENCE DE TUNIS centred on a crescent-and-star emblem, while the lower border reads PROTECTORAT FRANÇAIS. The mid-field includes the decree date, series, and note number, together with two manuscript signature lines, a central rectangular warning cachet, and a bilingual exchangeability clause at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Central rectangular overprint on obverse warning that counterfeiting is punishable by hard labour in perpetuity. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Direction Générale des Finances issued small-denomination emergency notes during and after the First World War to compensate for the near-total disappearance of metallic coinage from circulation. This 2 Francs note, printed locally by Pforra & Savier rather than sent to a European security printer, reflects the practical constraints of the period — Tunis had to manage with what was available.
Local production by a commercial Tunis firm rather than a specialist banknote printer is the genuinely unusual element here. The overprint warning text substitutes for the embedded security features a European house would have provided.