Catalog
10 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de la République de Katanga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960 |
| Type | Non-issued banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black and grey on an uncoloured ground, centred on an intaglio vignette of a high-voltage electricity pylon with transmission lines stretching into the middle distance. The issuer's title BANQUE DE LA REPUBLIQUE DE KATANGA appears in a ruled panel across the top, with the date 01·08·60 at upper left; denomination numerals 10 are repeated at left and lower-right corners. Two manuscript-style signature lines labelled UN DIRECTEUR and LE GOUVERNEUR occupy the lower centre, and a guilloche band at the foot carries the anti-counterfeiting legend and the printer's imprint. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANQUE DE LA REPUBLIQUE DE KATANGA 10 DIX FRANCS THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY, LIMITED |
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| Comments |
The Banque de la République de Katanga had one of the shortest institutional lives in African monetary history. Moise Tshombe declared Katangan secession from the newly independent Congo in July 1960, and the breakaway state's own currency followed almost immediately — an assertive move designed to cut Léopoldville out of Katanga's copper revenues, which then accounted for roughly half of the entire Congo's export earnings.
Thomas De La Rue's involvement meant the notes arrived with technical credibility the young issuer could not have produced domestically. The secession collapsed in January 1963 under UN pressure, giving this series a circulation window of under three years.