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50 Centimes
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Constantine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| 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 | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE CONSTANTINE DÉLIBÉRATION DE 12 OCTOBRE 1918 50 CENTIMES Le Trésorier Le Président IMP. JOURDAN, ALGER |
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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.