20 Francs

Algeria's 20 Francs was struck under the authority of the French colonial administration during a period of acute political tension — the series spans the 1954 outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence, meaning later dates in this run were produced while France was actively fighting to retain the territory whose name appears on the coin. The Banque de l'Algérie had operated as a quasi-autonomous issuing body since 1851, but by the mid-1950s its monetary future was increasingly uncertain.

Lec#48 and Lec#49 reflect two distinct emission varieties within the type. Worth distinguishing when cataloging.