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5 Centimes
| Issuer | Ville de Blida (Commune of Blida, Department of Alger) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1848-1959) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Black letterpress print on plain paper, enclosed within a decorative rectangular frame with scrollwork and floral corner ornaments. At centre, an oval cartouche carries the municipal coat of arms of Blida — a crowned shield flanked by two crescent moons, surmounted by a mural crown — surrounded by the redemption legend in a continuous circular band. The printer's imprint S. LÉON, ALGER appears in small text at the lower right outside the central oval. |
| Reverse lettering | LES TICKETS SERONT ÉCHANGÉS CONTRE DES BONS DE LA CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'ALGER OU CONTRE DES BILLETS DE BANQUE S. LÉON, ALGER |
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| Comments |
Blida is one of dozens of Algerian communes that resorted to locally printed emergency fractional notes during the First World War, when the withdrawal of small coins from circulation left municipalities with no practical way to make change. The Chambre de Commerce issues from Algiers and Oran are better known; the smaller commune issues like this one from Blida are considerably harder to locate today, largely because they circulated hard and were never systematically preserved.
S. Léon was a commercial printer in Algiers, not a security printing house. The absence of any serious anti-counterfeiting technology was accepted as an unavoidable compromise at 5 centimes.