Catalog
20 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Algérie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943-1945 |
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| Currency | Franc (1891-1957) |
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| Obverse description | At right, an intaglio vignette of a young woman in traditional Tunisian dress and headdress, rendered within an ornate arch-shaped frame. The bank title BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE appears across the top, with VINGT FRANCS below and the Arabic equivalent inscription at centre-left; TUNISIE is printed vertically along the right margin. Two signature lines for the L'INSPECTEUR GÉNÉRAL and LE CAISSIER PRINCIPAL appear at lower centre, above the penal warning legend at the base. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE VINGT FRANCS TUNISIE 20 عشرين فرنك L'ART.139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS À PERPÉTUITÉ LE CONTREFACTEUR |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Algérie occupied an unusual position during this period — nominally under Vichy authority until November 1942, then operating under the Free French administration following the Allied landings in North Africa. Notes issued across the 1943–1945 window therefore span two distinct political authorities operating through the same institution, with no change to the printed design to mark the transition.
Romagnoli was a prolific engraver whose work appeared across multiple French colonial issues of the period. The collaboration with Duval on this series was not unique to Algeria — identifying which colonial series used borrowed or adapted plate elements requires careful comparison of engraver credits across contemporary Banque de France affiliate issues.