Catalog
1 Franc
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#3B |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DU CONGO BELGE / UN FRANC / PAYABLE A VUE A / MATADI / LE SECRÉTAIRE-GÉNÉRAL / LE PRÉSIDENT / LA LOI PUNIT LE CONTREFACTEUR / DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS / WATERLOW & SONS Ld LONDRES |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO / EEN FRANK / BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT TE / MATADI / 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 wartime fractional notes exist because the colony's metal coinage essentially vanished from circulation after 1914 — hoarded, exported, or simply impossible to replenish from a Belgium that was under German occupation. Paper had to fill the gap. These notes circulated hard in a tropical climate, and attrition was severe; Waterlow printed in quantity, but surviving examples in decent condition are genuinely uncommon.
Pick 3B distinguishes itself from the broader 3-series by signature combination, not by printing changes — Waterlow's contribution remained constant across the variants.