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2 Francs Green and orange
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Oran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Francs |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'ORAN Délibération du 25 Mars 1921 2 fr. فرنك زوج (Translation: Oran Chamber of Commerce. Deliberation of 25 March 1921. 2 Francs. Two Francs [in Arabic].) |
| Reverse description | Green print on orange underprint, with allegorical figures at right and a man with an ox at left, framed by a guilloche border consistent with the obverse. Signature lines for the President and Treasurer appear below the central design, with the serial number printed in black. |
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| Comments |
The chambres de commerce emergency issues of the early 1920s filled a genuine gap — French fractional coinage had been melted down, hoarded, or simply worn out of existence during the First World War, and the central monetary authorities were slow to replace it. Oran's chamber issued in its own name, redeemable locally, with no guarantee of acceptance elsewhere in Algeria or metropolitan France.
These small-denomination commercial scrip notes were a North African phenomenon of genuine scale — dozens of Algerian chambers issued simultaneously, creating a patchwork of local paper that persisted well into the mid-1920s before being finally suppressed.