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5 Centimes
| Issuer | Ville d'Alger (Municipality of Algiers) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Centimes (0.05) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Black letterpress print on light green paper. The reverse is dominated by a large oval guilloche vignette with a stippled ground and interlaced foliate scrollwork at centre, within which the denomination '0.f05c.' is printed in large bold numerals. The oval is set within a rectangular border of alternating zigzag and scroll ornaments. |
| Reverse lettering | 0f.05c. |
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| Comments |
Municipal emergency notes of this type were a direct consequence of wartime coin hoarding across French Algeria. By 1916, small-denomination bronze and nickel coinage had effectively vanished from daily commerce — soldiers, merchants, and civilians alike were sitting on metal. Algiers, like dozens of French and North African municipalities, responded by authorizing local paper substitutes to keep low-value transactions moving.
Adolphe Jourdan's Algiers press was the dominant commercial printer in colonial North Africa at the time, handling everything from legal documents to illustrated books. Their involvement here was practical geography, not a procurement decision of any particular note.