Tunisian Francs | A Comprehensive Overview

The Tunisian Franc was the official currency of Tunisia from 1892 to 1958. It was introduced by the French colonial authorities.

The Franc was pegged to the French Franc at a fixed exchange rate. This meant that the value of the Tunisian Franc was directly tied to the value of the French Franc.

The Tunisian Franc was widely used in Tunisia, and it was also accepted in some neighboring countries. However, its use declined over time as the country transitioned to a new currency.

The Tunisian franc was introduced in 1891, replacing the rial at a rate of 1 rial = 60 centimes. This marked a significant change in the country's currency system.

The franc was initially produced with both coins and banknotes, specifically designed for Tunisia. Early banknotes, however, were actually Algerian issues that were overstamped with "Tunisie".

The franc remained in circulation until 1960, when it was replaced by the dinar at a rate of 1000 francs = 1 dinar. This change was part of a larger economic shift in Tunisia.

The dinar had actually been established as the unit of account in 1958, paving the way for its adoption as the official currency.

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The Tunisian franc had a complex history when it came to banknotes and coins. In 1903, the Banque de l'Algérie introduced 5 franc notes with the overprint "Tunisie".

The Banque de l'Algérie continued to issue banknotes, introducing 500 francs in 1904, 20, 50 and 10 francs in 1908, and 1000 franc notes in 1918.

In 1942, the Banque de l'Algérie introduced 5000 franc notes, while the "Direction des Finance" issued 50 centime, 1 and 2 franc notes in 1943.

The last 5 franc notes were issued in 1944, marking the end of a series of banknotes that had been in circulation for over 40 years.

The Banque de l'Algérie et de la Tunisie, the bank's name change in 1946, introduced notes for Tunisia in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 francs.

These denominations were eventually replaced by coins in 1950, with the 20, 50 and 100 franc notes being the first to go.

The Tunisian franc had several variations over the years. The 20 franc note was one of the denominations.

One notable variation was the 1928 issue, which featured a portrait of Habib Bourguiba, the country's first president. This note had a distinctive design.

The 20 franc note was also printed with a different security thread in 1964, making it easier to authenticate.

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The Gold 10 Francs are a fascinating variation in the world of gold coins.

A relatively uncommon coin, the Gold Tunisian 10 Francs has a mintage of just over 400,000.

The Tunisian 10 francs is on par with the Gold French 10 francs with a total mass of 3.22g of .900 fine Gold.

Nearly all 10 francs were struck in 1891 with only a few minted in years after this date.

The 20 Francs Or is a beautiful coin with a rich history. It was minted between 1891 and 1904 with an estimated mintage of 2,035,837.

This coin has a total mass of 6.45g, making it a significant piece of gold. Its rarity is unknown, but it's believed that many remain in investment grade.

The 20 Francs Or was part of a series of gold coins issued by the French protectorate in Tunisia. It shares the same characteristics as the 20 Francs Or coin issued in France during the IIIe République.

Tunisia's history with gold coins dates back to ancient times, when Carthage's coins belonged to the Greek coin series, later Roman.

The coins were later replaced by the sultani and half sultani, but we're interested in the gold mixed years, specifically the 20 Tunisian Francs coins.

These coins were equal in size and composition to the corresponding French coins, which is interesting given Tunisia's history of being a French protectorate.

The 20 Francs coins were a part of Tunisia's currency under the French, which was denominated in francs from 1891 onwards.

In 1960, the franc was replaced by the dinar, but the 20 Francs coins were likely phased out around the same time, given the introduction of the new currency.

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The Tunisian franc coins were produced in the Paris Mint workshop, as indicated by the "A" mark on one of their faces. This was a requirement by the monetary authorities to better control the production and circulation of the currency.

The Paris Mint workshop was responsible for producing these coins, which is evident from the "A" mark on the coins.

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