Coins of the French colonies and protectorates

The trade piastre and the small coins of Indochina

The piastre de commerce is the heaviest coin in this group. It was created to take over, in Far Eastern trade, from the Mexican pesos and silver dollars that were already in use there. The Paris Mint struck a first version in 1885 at 27.215 g, then a second in 1895, cut to 27 g. Both weights are written on the reverse, so you can tell them apart without scales: simply read the line beginning “POIDS”.

The second type, struck until 1928, is by far the more common. In 1931 the piastre was tied to the franc and a smaller coin of 20 g replaced it, with a portrait signed by Lindauer. It was the last silver piastre.

Around the piastre came the fractional coins: 10, 20 and 50 cents in silver, sized in proportion to the piastre, and above all the bronze cent with a hole in the centre, struck from 1896 to 1939. The hole echoes the local sapèques, which were carried threaded on a string. During the war, the Vichy administration had holed coins struck in zinc and aluminium marked “ÉTAT FRANÇAIS”. All these Indochinese coins name the territory and often carry Chinese characters, which sets them apart from other Asian foreign coins (in French).

Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria

Both protectorates kept their own rulers, and the coins show it. In Morocco the franc was created in 1920 and the Paris Mint struck the first coins in 1921. The silver 5, 10 and 20 francs of 1928 and 1933, engraved by Lindauer, carry the Hijri year, 1347 or 1352. Between 1951 and 1953 came 1, 2 and 5 francs in aluminium, 10, 20 and 50 francs in aluminium-bronze and two silver coins of 100 and 200 francs.

In Tunisia the franc replaced the rial in 1891. The first coins followed French weights and alloys: a Tunisian 2 francs looks much like a mainland 2 francs, but one side is in Arabic and names the Bey. The last small silver coins of this first series are dated 1921, but silver 1 and 2 francs were still struck until 1928. Silver returned in the 1930s with 5, 10 and 20 francs in the name of Ahmed II, the 20 francs at 680‰. Cupro-nickel coins bearing the arms of Lamine Bey, including the 50 and 100 francs, close the series.

Algeria, for its part, used mainland coins. Only three coins were its own: 20 francs (1949 and 1956), 50 francs (1949) and 100 francs (1950 and 1952), in cupro-nickel and signed by Pierre Turin. They show Marianne and the word “ALGERIE”. They sit alongside the post-war French coins (in French) of the same years.

Africa, Madagascar and the Antilles

Coins for French West Africa came late. In 1944, 50 centimes and 1 franc pieces reused Morlon's design, familiar from the mainland. In 1948, aluminium 1 and 2 francs signed by Bazor took over, followed in 1956 by aluminium-bronze 5, 10 and 25 francs.

French Equatorial Africa and Madagascar share a series struck in 1943 in Pretoria, South Africa, for Free France. The Equatorial African bronzes carry a cross of Lorraine and the letters SA, the mark of that mint. After the war, Madagascar received aluminium francs struck in Paris.

In the Antilles, Guadeloupe and Martinique had cupro-nickel 50 centimes and 1 franc coins, struck in only a few years: 1897 and 1922 for Martinique, 1903 and 1921 for Guadeloupe. They are scarcer than the post-war African series.

In a mixed batch, sort these coins first by territory, then by metal. The aluminium and aluminium-bronze issues from 1944 onwards are the most common; the silver and the Antilles coins deserve a closer look.

Varieties, fakes and coins not to confuse

The piastre de commerce was widely imitated in Asia. Cast counterfeits, often in base metal with a silver coating, circulated at the time; zinc moulds made to produce them have even survived. A cast coin shows a grainy surface, soft lettering and uneven reeding. Check the weight (27 g for the second type) and the diameter (39 mm). Some genuine piastres bear small punch marks struck by money changers to test the silver: these are not fakes, but they should be noted.

Several mix-ups recur. The silver Tunisian 2 francs can pass for a mainland 2 francs if the coin is not turned over. The aluminium 1 and 2 francs of French West Africa have close counterparts from Equatorial Africa and Madagascar: read the name of the territory. The Algerian 20 and 100 francs resemble the Guiraud and Cochet francs (in French) in metal, but not in design. Finally, many patterns and piedforts exist for almost every territory; they carry the word “ESSAI” and belong in specialist collections. The guide to fake coins (in French) sets out further checks.

How these coins wear

On the piastre de commerce, wear usually first reaches Marianne's knee and shoulder, then the folds of her robe and the bands of the fasces. On the reverse, the leaves of the wreath lose their veins before the weight inscription fades. A heavily circulated piastre remains legible, but the details of the face are gone.

Aluminium scratches and dents very easily: a coin from West Africa or Madagascar often shows knocks on the field even after little use. Aluminium-bronze darkens and spots. The cupro-nickel of the Algerian and Antilles coins turns grey without harming the relief; look at Marianne's hair instead.

Do not try to make a colonial coin shine. Cleaning removes the patina and leaves scratches visible under a loupe. The guide to coin grades describes each grade, and the one on cleaning shows what to avoid (both in French). For a batch mixing several territories, a free valuation lets you sort it with a numismatist.