Catalog
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| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944-1951 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DU CONGO BELGE CENT FRANCS PAYABLES A VUE DEUXIÈME EMISSION 1944 LE DIRECTEUR EN AFRIQUE LE DIRECTEUR-ADJOINT EN AFRIQUE LA LOI PUNIT LE CONTREFACTEUR DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS WATERLOW & SONS LIMITED, LONDRES (Translation: BANK OF BELGIAN CONGO ONE HUNDRED FRANCS PAYABLE AT SIGHT SECOND ISSUE 1944 THE DIRECTOR IN AFRICA THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR IN AFRICA THE LAW PUNISHES THE COUNTERFEITER WITH FORCED LABOUR WATERLOW & SONS LIMITED, LONDON) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO HONDERD FRANK BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT TWEEDE UITGIFTTE 1944 DE ADJUNCT-DIRECTEUR VOOR AFRIKA DE DIRECTEUR VOOR AFRIKA DE NAMAKER WORDT DOOR DE WET MET DWANGARBEID GESTRAFT. WATERLOW & SONS LIMITED, LONDRES (Translation: BANK OF BELGIAN CONGO ONE HUNDRED FRANK PAYABLE AT SIGHT SECOND ISSUE 1944 THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR AFRICA THE DIRECTOR FOR AFRICA THE COUNTERFEITER IS PUNISHED BY LAW WITH FORCED LABOUR. WATERLOW & SONS LIMITED, LONDON) |
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| Comments |
The Banque du Congo Belge was a private commercial institution operating under Belgian government concession, not a true central bank — a distinction that shaped how these notes were produced and circulated in a colony with almost no formal monetary infrastructure beyond the major trading centers. Waterlow & Sons handled the print run in London, the colonial administration having little capacity to produce secure currency locally.
The seven-year date span on P#17 reflects not a single printing but multiple sequential issues, some distinguishable by signature combinations corresponding to different directors during the postwar administrative transition. Collectors working this series should treat the signature pairings as the primary differentiator, not the date alone.