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10 Francs
| Issuer | Etat Indépendant du Congo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1896 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black with red serial numbers, the obverse is centred on a vignette of an angel holding a cornucopia, set against a background of buildings and a bridge. The country name ÉTAT INDÉPENDANT DU CONGO arches across the top, with the denomination DIX FRANCS appearing at either side. A promissory text and serial number occupy the left portion of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in brown, the reverse carries a portrait vignette of a woman in a frame at left, facing left, alongside a decorative floral guilloche pattern to the right with the denomination written out in French. The numeral value appears in each corner, and the country name ETAT INDEPENDANT DU CONGO runs along the top and bottom margins. |
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| Comments |
The Etat Indépendant du Congo — Leopold II's personal fiefdom, not a Belgian state institution — had only a rudimentary financial infrastructure in the mid-1890s. This note, Pick 1, is the first paper money issued for the territory, making it the starting point of an entirely new monetary history. Waterlow & Sons handled the printing in London, as they did for scores of colonial and quasi-colonial issuers of the period.
Surviving examples are genuinely rare. The Congo Free State's brutal administration and near-total absence of formal banking infrastructure meant circulation was thin and retention lower still.