Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Centimes Alger Chamber of Commerce, Essai
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Alger |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | 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 | Central device featuring a caduceus — a winged staff entwined by two serpents — flanked on either side by a palm tree, all set against a lightly textured ground. The composition is enclosed within a beaded inner circle. The circular legend CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'ALGER arcs around the upper periphery, while the date 1921 appears in the lower field between two small stars. The overall design evokes North African colonial iconography combined with classical Mercurial symbolism. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Alger Chamber of Commerce began issuing emergency token coinage after World War I left France's small-denomination supply in chronic disorder. Metropolitan mints were still struggling to meet demand, and Algeria — administratively a department of France but practically distant from Paris's monetary logistics — saw local commercial chambers step in to fill the gap. The Essai designation here indicates a trial striking, almost certainly produced for submission or approval rather than general release into commerce.
Lecompte 131 is a recognized rarity within the French colonial emergency token series.