10 Zaires

The Banque Nationale du Congo issued this series shortly after the country's 1967 monetary reform, which replaced the Congolese franc with the zaïre at a rate of 1,000 to one — an attempt to reset public confidence following years of hyperinflation and political upheaval under Mobutu's consolidating government. Giesecke & Devrient had secured the printing contract for the new currency, and their Munich facility handled the full zaïre series from the outset.

The 10-zaïre denomination was substantial in everyday terms; the average Congolese wage at the time made even single-zaïre notes significant. P#15 carries Signature 2, placing it in the earlier part of the series run before successive signatories replaced the initial authorization.