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50 Centimes
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Constantine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centimes (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | 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 | Green and black letterpress print over a yellow underprint, with the municipal coat of arms of Constantine positioned at bottom centre. Black serial numbers appear on the note, and the text identifies the issuing chamber and the authorizing deliberation date. The overall layout is typical of French colonial emergency currency of the First World War era. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Green letterpress print over a yellow underprint, the entire field filled with an intricate guilloche scroll pattern incorporating repeated text watermark-style underprint references to Constantine and Algiers. A central oval cartouche in dark green carries the denomination "CENTIMES" in large capitals, flanked by circular medallions bearing the numeral "50" on each side, with the redemption clause inscribed in a banner above and below the central cartouche. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Comments |
The Chambres de Commerce across French Algeria issued emergency small-denomination notes during the First World War to compensate for the near-total disappearance of metal coin from circulation — bronze and nickel were absorbed by wartime industrial demand, and the metropolitan French treasury had no capacity to resupply colonial markets. Constantine's chamber was among several Algerian commercial bodies authorized to fill the gap locally, printing on whatever stock was available rather than waiting on Paris.
Adolphe Jourdan was Algiers' dominant commercial printer of the period, producing everything from official gazettes to ephemera. The press was practical rather than security-specialist, which is reflected in the modest production values typical of this entire Algerian chambre series.