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50 Centimes
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Constantine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centimes (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE CONSTANTINE DÉLIBÉRATION DE 7 NOVEMBRE 1916 50 CENTIMES Le Trésorier Le Président IMP. B. ARNAUD LYON_PARIS |
| Reverse description | Green letterpress print over orange guilloche underprint. The centre displays the large numeral '50' within an intricate guilloche rosette, flanked on each side by two circular orange underprint medallions bearing the interlaced 'CC' monogram of the Chambre de Commerce in black. An elaborate scrollwork border frames the entire face, with the redemption clause arched across the top. |
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| Comments |
The Chambres de Commerce emergency notes of WWI-era Algeria exist because the French metropolitan banking system simply could not supply enough small-denomination coinage to the colonies during the wartime metal shortage. Constantine's chamber issued its own fractional notes under authority granted by the French government in 1914–1915, a stopgap that ended up running for several years across dozens of French and colonial issuing bodies simultaneously.
Arnaud's Lyon operation was the go-to printer for this class of emergency issue — they produced similar notes for multiple provincial chambres during the same period, which occasionally causes attribution confusion when undated proofs surface.