Catalog
1 Zaire
| Issuer | Banque Nationale du Congo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1967-1970 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#12 |
| Obverse description | A vignette of Stade Tata Raphaël (Father Raphael Stadium) in Kinshasa occupies the center of the note, with a portrait of President Joseph Mobutu positioned at the right. The face bears the issuing authority inscription and denomination legend within a decorative border, with guilloche underprint patterning across the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Variants | P#12a - Signature 1. 2.1.1967; 24.11.1967; 1.9.1968 P#12b - Signature 2. 21.1.1970; 1.10.1970 |
| Comments |
The Banque Nationale du Congo replaced the Banque Centrale du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi at independence, but the new zaire itself didn't arrive until 1967, introduced under Mobutu's monetary reforms as part of a broader effort to shed the franc congolais — one makuta equalled one hundred sengi, the zaire one hundred makuta. Thomas De La Rue handled production throughout the series, a relationship common to many newly independent African states that lacked domestic printing infrastructure.
P#12 spans a three-year signature range, meaning at least two different signing combinations appear across the run.