Algeria: Coins Issued and Used

The Dinar (Arabic: دينار‎) (sign: د.ج or DA; code: DZD) is the currency of Algeria and it is subdivided into 100 santeem (سنتيم).

The dinar was introduced on 1 April 1964, replacing the Algerian new franc at par.

In 1964, coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 santeem, and 1 dinar were introduced, with the 1, 2 and 5 santeem struck in aluminium, the 10, 20 and 50 santeem in aluminium bronze and the 1 dinar in cupro-nickel. The obverses showed the emblem of Algeria, while the reverses carried the values in Eastern Arabic numerals. In later decades, coins were issued sporadically with various commemorative subjects. However, the 1 and 2 santeem were not struck again, whilst the 5, 10 and 20 santeem were last struck in the 1980s.

In 1992, a new series of coins was introduced consisting of ¼, ½, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dinars. A 200 dinar bi-metallic coin was issued in 2012 to commemorate Algeria's 50th anniversary of independence. The 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 dinar coins are bimetallic.

Coins in general circulation are 5 dinars and higher. Following the massive inflation which accompanied the slow transition to a more capitalist economy during the late 1990s, the santeem and fractional dinar coins have dropped out of general circulation, whilst the 1 and 2 dinar coins are rarely used, as prices are rounded to the nearest 5 dinars. Nonetheless, prices are typically quoted in santeem in everyday speech; thus a price of 100 dinars is read as عشر الاف ("ten thousand").