The new Algerian 2 000 dinars banknote issued in november 2022

The new Algerian 2 000 dinars banknote issued in november 2022

The Bank of Algeria has issued from 11/02/2022 a banknote of two thousand Algerian dinars. The issuance of this banknote has raised a controversy and a questioning. The controversy was created in France by the extreme left politician Jean Luc MELANCHON and concerns the absence of any mention in French on the new banknote. This one will carry on mentions in English for the first time in the Algerian fiduciary history.

The general theme of the banknote are the 60 years of independence and the commemoration of the 31st session of Arab States League.

 


Description of the banknote’s two sides


 

The dimensions of the banknote are 155 mm by 71.8 mm.

It is printed on a special watermarked substrate or paper in two layers, front and back paper. Between the two, a special transparent polymer layer has been applied.

A watermark is positioned horizontally on the lower left. It reproduces the effigy of “Emir Abdelkader”, as well as the figure of “2000”.

A “large window” type security thread is embedded in the paper. It is 5 mm wide, metallic, with a dynamic effect and contains micro text “1962”, on a silver background. The issuing date 2022 is on a green background.

 

Obverse

 

The banknote has been composed in a four-color chroma. The security background is composed of geometric figures of graphic numismatic microprints with a background image of citizens celebrating independence, flags in hands. It covers the entire surface of the bill. The bill in vertical printing with a dominant bluish green color.

In the middle of the bill towards the bottom is the image of the Maqam Echahid, with at the top of the monument the geographical map of the Arab world and at the base of the monument the logo of the League of Arab States.

Above the Maqam Echahid an opening in the form of a window representing the map of Algeria closed by transparent polymer on which is engraved a crescent and a star.

The text is bilingual with in Arabic language the logo of the Bank of Algeria accompanied by the inscription “دينار ألفا “in top left in horizontal. To this text is added in English language the face value of the denomination “TWO THOUSAND DINARS” on the left in vertical. The number “2000” is positioned horizontally on the lower right of the bill.

An optically variable object representing a golden vignette with shiny effect and color change, representing the map of Algeria, with a crescent and a star in the center, and 3D effect.

 

The new Algerian 2 000 dinars banknote issued in november 2022

 

Reverse

 

The security background is composed of geometric figures, graphic numismatic micro-impressions.
The security background covers the whole surface of the banknote. The dominant tone of this face is yellowish green.

In the center of the banknote stand the minaret of Djamaa-Al-Djazaïr with the Hoggar mountains in the upper left corner crossed by a transparent polymer window. At the bottom left, the mountains of the coast are represented as well as the Roman ruins of Tipaza on the right. At the bottom of the minaret of Djamaa-Al-Djazaïr are represented a palm tree and a caravan of dromedaries.

The text is bilingual with in Arabic language the logo of the Bank of Algeria on the top right “دينار ألفا “, horizontally on the bottom right and in English language the face value of the denomination “TWO THOUSAND DINARS”, horizontally on the bottom left. The number “2000” is positioned horizontally on the lower right and on the upper left.

 

The new Algerian 2 000 dinars banknote issued in november 2022

 

 

 


A polemic created by Jean Luc MELANCHON

(extreme left politician)


 

The politician Jean Luc MELANCHON was moved by the fact that the bilingual mentions appearing on this newly issued banknote were in Arabic and English. No mention in French appears on this banknote. According to him, this absence of mentions in French on the anknote is a break in the fiduciary tradition of Algeria and marks the growing distance that exists between France and Algeria, because of the positions taken by the french government and the head of the French state.

NUMISMAG being a media exclusively dedicated to numismatics, we will leave aside the political analysis that comes from this observation to focus on the reality of the initial statement.

It is true that Algeria, which has been independent since 1962, continued to use French on its banknotes for a long time.

 

The new Algerian 2 000 dinars banknote issued in november 2022

Banknote of 5 dinars of the 1970 series (Bank of Algeria)

 

However, this fiduciary tradition ended with the series of circulation banknotes issued in 1980. No denomination of the series bears any mention in French.

 

The new Algerian 2 000 dinars banknote issued in november 2022

Banknote of 10 dinars 1980 series (Bank of Algeria)

 

To say that the abandonment of any mention in French on an Algerian banknote is a novelty in the Algerian fiduciary tradition is therefore erroneous.

On the other hand, the presence on this banknote of english mentions raises questions.

 


Why are there mentions in English on this banknote?


 

Several explanations have been put forward in the press in the absence of any statement from the Bank of Algeria on the subject.

A first explanation is that these banknotes were printed outside Algeria, perhaps by an Anglo-Saxon fiduciary printer. One of the world leaders in fiduciary printing is the English based company Delarue. This explanation seems unrealistic because a printer never does anything but execute the specifications of the client, in this particular case the Bank of Algeria. One does not see for which reason it would have, of its own initiative, added mentions in English.

The second explanation would be that it would allow for greater ease of circulation of the dinar outside Algeria. However, the Algerian dinar is not currently a convertible currency. It is therefore only used by Algerian residents. The fact that the banknote face value and the issuing authority are written in English could indicate a future convertibility of the dinar and therefore its use on the international currency market. This would be a milestone in contemporary Algerian fiduciary history…

 

Sources: Bank of’Algeria and NUMISMAG.

 

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