Algeria 5 and 10 Centimes Chamber of Commerce 1916 to 1921

These coins were issued by the Chamber of Commerce in French Algeria during the time of the first World War. Algeria is the large country in Northern Africa, just across the Mediterranean Sea south of France. They have their own regular coinage, but this specimen is not regular coinage. It is, instead, 'La monnaie de necessite' or 'currency of need.'

In difficult times of war and economic downturn, the governments of many countries fall short in producing enough coinage to support commerce. What generally happens is that private mints step in and start producing coins. This happened in the United States, and produced 'Hard Times Tokens' between 1832 and 1844. In Germany, 'Notgeld' was the result (see our page on notgeld at this link).

Value-wise, these coin are not particularly valuable. They are generally minted of base metals like brass and aluminum, and are not produce with extremely high quality. Collectors don't demand them for their collections, because they are not real coins. A nice specimen may sell for $5 to $20 US dollars. Worn coins will be worth less.
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