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1 Franc
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1920 |
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| Reference(s) | P#3 |
| 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. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO EEN FRANK BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT TE ELISABETHVILLE DE NAMAKER WORDT DOOR DE WET MET DWANGARBEID GESTRAFT Waterlow & Sons Limited Londres |
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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.