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50 Centimes Red and yellow
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Constantine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Red print over a yellow underprint, the design composed entirely of dense, symmetrical acanthus-scroll guilloche ornaments filling the entire field within a ruled border. The denomination "CENTIMES" is set in large bold letters within a central oval cartouche, with the numeral "50" in circular panels to each side, and the redemption clause arching above and below the cartouche. |
| Reverse lettering | ECHANGEABLE CONTRE DES BILLETS DE LA BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE 50 CENTIMES |
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| Comments |
The Chambre de Commerce de Constantine issued emergency fractional notes during and after World War I to address a severe shortage of small coin — a problem that plagued much of French Algeria as metal was diverted to the war effort. These chamber-of-commerce bons de caisse were a common workaround across French colonial territories, legally sanctioned as local emergency currency but never intended for extended use.
Adolphe Jourdan was the dominant commercial printer in Algiers throughout this period, producing everything from municipal documents to colonial ephemera. His shop was the obvious choice for fast, low-cost fractional paper.