Catalog
20 Francs
| Issuer | Bank of Algeria - French Administration |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873-1892 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE VINGT FRANCS. 20 ALGER Le Secrétaire gal Le Caissier ppal L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS À PERPÉTUITÉ LE CONTREFACTEUR |
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| Reverse lettering | 20 CH. CABASSON, INV ET DEL, 1872 PANNEMAKER FILS, SC L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS À PERPÉTUITÉ LE CONTREFACTEUR |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Algérie was established in 1851 as a colonial credit institution, modeled closely on the Banque de France but with a far more restricted mandate — it functioned primarily to support French settler commerce rather than the broader indigenous economy. Notes of this series circulated across a colony still being consolidated by force, with the Kabylie region not fully pacified until the 1871 Mokrani Revolt had been suppressed, meaning the earliest dates of this issue were struck against a backdrop of significant territorial instability.
Bellenger was a respected engraver working within the French tradition; Cabasson's designs for the series drew on the visual conventions of contemporary metropolitan banknote work. The nearly two-decade print run is notable — changes in the colony's banking needs between 1873 and 1892 were substantial, yet the note design remained fixed.