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5 Centimes
| Issuer | Commune of Cherchell (Department of Alger) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Centimes (0.05) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in dark red on cream paper, the obverse is square in format with perforated edges reminiscent of a postage stamp. A central circular vignette contains a finely engraved classical female head in right profile, helmeted in the antique style, evoking the ancient Roman city of Caesarea. The denomination '0,05' appears at the lower right, with the legend arching around the vignette and the words 'BON POUR' at the base. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | LE MAIRE (Translation: The mayor.) |
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| Comments |
French Algeria's wartime small-change crisis left municipalities scrambling to fill the void left by hoarded bronze coins. Cherchell, a coastal commune in the Department of Alger built over the ancient Berber and Roman city of Caesarea, issued these paper centimes as emergency nécessité notes — a phenomenon that produced hundreds of distinct local issues across Algeria between 1914 and 1920, most in tiny print runs that have largely vanished.
Jean Glenat's involvement as designer places this among the more considered local productions. Most commune issues of this type were typeset affairs with no named designer at all.