Catalog
2 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black on white paper, the obverse is enclosed within an elaborate guilloche border and carries the issuing authority BANQUE DU CONGO BELGE in letterpress across the top. The central cartouche bears the denomination DEUX FRANCS above a scroll inscribed PAYABLES A VUE, flanked by tropical foliate ornaments and a lower-right device incorporating a stylised animal skull and the conjoined CB bank monogram. The numeral 2 appears in the lower-left corner, with the anti-counterfeiting legend LA LOI PUNIT LE CONTREFACTEUR DES TRAVAUX FORCES along the lower margin and the printer imprint HORTORS LIMITED AFRIQUE DU SUD at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DU CONGO BELGE DEUX FRANCS PAYABLES A VUE LE DIRECTEUR ADJOINT EN AFRIQUE LE DIRECTEUR EN AFRIQUE LA LOI PUNIT LE CONTREFACTEUR DES TRAVAUX FORCES HORTORS LIMITED AFRIQUE DU SUD |
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| Comments |
The Banque du Congo Belge shifted printing to Hortors Limited in Johannesburg after German occupation of Belgium severed access to the usual European security printers. The 1942 small-denomination notes were produced under wartime conditions with constrained materials, and Hortors — better known for commercial and government printing in South Africa — was a practical rather than specialist choice.
The Congo's wartime currency output from this period is often underestimated in terms of historical weight: the Belgian Congo was financing a significant portion of the Allied war effort through mineral exports, and keeping local commerce liquid with credible small denominations was a genuine logistical concern, not a routine issue.