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10 Francs
| Issuer | Bank of Algeria - French Administration |
|---|---|
| Year | 1871 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#14 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a large oval guilloche border enclosing the central text panel, within which the issuer name BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE and denomination DIX FRANCS appear in bold letterpress, with a bilingual Arabic inscription عشرة فرنك beneath. A vignette of scales of justice surmounted by a decorative cartouche appears at the top of the oval, flanked by two circular medallion vignettes at left and right; crescent ornaments appear at each outer corner of the note. The date ALGER, LE [date] FÉVRIER 1871 is printed below the denomination, with manuscript signatures of Le Contrôleur and Le Caissier accompanied by a small penalty clause cartouche at the foot of the oval. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in a single pale tone and centres on a large ornate oval guilloche frame, within which the denomination DIX FRANCS and Arabic عشرة فرنك are rendered in open-face lettering. Two circular numeral medallions bearing the figure 10 are set at the left and right extremities of the oval, while an elaborate scrollwork underprint fills the interior field. The issuer name BANQUE DE L'ALGÉRIE appears in mirror-reversed letterpress across the upper portion of the oval, and the printer imprints of H. Cabasson Inv. D. and Magdelaine & Cie are visible in the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Algérie had barely stabilized its note-issuing operations when the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune upended supply chains and disrupted communication between the metropolitan administration and colonial branches. This 10 Francs note, issued in 1871, belongs to that fraught transitional moment — the bank was simultaneously managing financial uncertainty in Algeria while its Parisian printers were working through the aftermath of the Commune's suppression.
Massonet & Cie and Magdelaine & Cie were mid-tier commercial printers rather than specialist security printers, a choice that reflected practical constraints more than preference. Notes from this period are prone to paper brittleness along fold lines.