50 Centimes

Algeria's post-independence coinage underwent a deliberate overhaul in the early 1970s as the Boumediene government pushed state-led industrialization under its National Charter framework. The Banque Centrale d'Algérie, established only in 1963 to replace the French colonial currency apparatus, was still relatively young when this series was authorized. The nickel brass alloy chosen here was a practical concession — aluminum bronze alternatives were considered but nickel brass offered better die longevity at the volumes required.