Coins of Algeria : Best and Most Beautiful  Algeria Coins to Collect

I was surprised to find out that Algeria is one of the Top 5 most visited countries in Africa by international tourists. Located in northwest Africa, Algeria is also the largest country in Africa and tenth largest in the world.

Some of the first coins to circulate in Algeria were Spanish coins since Spain once seized the city of Oran in 1509. They ruled Oran for the next 200 years before the Ottoman Empire took control of the city for a short time. Spain regained power in 1732 but would later abandon the city in 1792. The Spanish coins that circulated were 2, 4, and 8 Maravedis. Following the Spanish coins, coins made of copper, silver, and gold with Arabic writing were used.

Algeria then became part of the French Empire in 1830. Algerian franc coins were issued from 1949 to 1956 and then replaced with the Algerian dinar in 1964, just two years after Algeria gained independence from France. Massive inflation has seen many of the lower value coins issued since 1964 drop out of circulation, due to the fact products and services are now rounded up to the nearest 5 dinars.

Here is a list of my favorite coins from Algeria

Algeria 20 Francs, 50 Francs, and 100 Francs

When Algeria was under French rule, 3 different coins were issued between 1949 and 1956. They include the 20 francs, 50 francs, and 100 francs. They look very similar to the 10 francs coins issued in France during the 1940s with the ears of wheat, except instead of reading LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE as it does on the reverse of the French coins, the Algerian Franc coins read ALGERIE. The 100 francs coin is the largest at 30mm.

Algeria 50 Centimes 1964

Of the first Algerian dinar coins issued in 1964, my favorite is the 50 centimes. It is the largest of the aluminum-bronze coins at 24mm, the other 10 and 20 centimes are smaller. Algeria also issued an aluminum 1,2, and 5 centimes as well as a copper-nickel 1 dinar in 1964 but the circulated aluminum-bronze coins have a more antique look to them which I like. The coin’s obverse features the first emblem of Algeria along with Arabic lettering.

Algeria 2 Dinars 1992-2011

While this may be a smaller coin at 22.5mm it features a really nice portrait of a dromedary camel head on the reverse and a nice outline of the country’s shape on the obverse. Visitors can arrange camel safaris in the Sahara Desert’s Tassili n’Ajjer National Park.

Algeria 10 Dinars, 20 Dinars, 50 Dinars 1992-2019

The bimetallic coins Algeria has issued since 1992 are very beautiful and feature various animals on the reverses. The 10 Dinar features a Barbary falcon, a bird that is used in falconry and closely resembles the peregrine falcon which is the fasted bird in the world.

The 20 dinar coin features the head of a Barbary lion. These lions once lived in Algeria but the unique regional population went extinct around 1958, most likely due to hunting and forests being destroyed during the French-Algerian War which eventually led to Algerian Independence.

The 50 dinar coins features a dama gazelle which is a critically endangered species that may only number around 500 left in the wild. It is thought that only a very small population of dama gazelles survives in Algeria today, their decline linked to lack of water, diseases from livestock, and habitat destruction.