Catalog
1 Franc
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Franc |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of an allegorical female figure seated to the right, holding a sheaf of grain, with a large wheel at her side, rendered in intaglio engraving. The bank title BANQUE DU CONGO BELGE arcs across the top in bold serif lettering, with the denomination UN FRANC and payable location ELISABETHVILLE positioned to the right. Two manuscript signatures appear below, attributed to the Secrétaire-Général and the Président, above a serial number and the penal warning LA LOI PUNIT LE CONTREFACTEUR DES TRAVAUX FORCES at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Uniform terra-cotta red letterpress design with a central panel bearing the Dutch-language text BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO / EEN FRANK / BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT TE / ELISABETHVILLE, enclosed within a decorative rectangular frame. Symmetrical guilloche rosettes flank the central panel on left and right, with an ornate lace-like border running the full perimeter of the note. The printer's imprint WATERLOW & SONS LIMITED LONDRES appears at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Banque du Congo Belge's small-denomination franc notes from this period were a direct response to the near-total disappearance of coin from circulation in the colony during the First World War. Metal coinage was diverted or simply stopped arriving, and these Waterlow-printed notes filled the gap at the lowest transactional level — a function normally handled entirely by metal in Belgian Congo.
Waterlow & Sons produced the series under wartime conditions, which affected paper supply and print quality across multiple runs. Surviving examples show variation in ink density between early and late printings.