1 Franc

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.