Catalog
2 Francs Comptes courants
| Issuer | Banque Nationale de Belgique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DE BELGIQUE (Comptes courants) 2 FRANCS 2 La loi punit le contrefacteur des travaux forcés Payables à vue Sle B Le Trésorier Le Gouverneur |
| Reverse description | Typographic reverse printed in brown on cream paper, enclosed within a plain rectangular border. Large numeral guilloche-style underprint digits 2 appear in the background, while the central text block carries the Dutch-language heading NATIONALE BANK VAN BELGIË with subtitle (Rekeningen courant) above the denomination TWEE FRANK. The payability clause Betaalbaar op zicht and the anti-counterfeiting warning in Dutch are set in smaller type below, separated by a short rule. |
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| Comments |
The Banque Nationale de Belgique introduced this small-format 2 Franc note in August 1914 under emergency wartime legislation, as the German invasion caused an immediate hoarding of coin and a collapse of small-change circulation. The comptes courants designation — current accounts — reflects the note's technical status as a transferable claim against the bank rather than conventional circulating currency, a legal distinction that mattered considerably at the time.
The German occupation administration initially tolerated continued Belgian National Bank operations, which is why notes like this one circulated alongside German-imposed issues throughout the war years.