Catalog
2 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 120 x 68 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Reverse description | The reverse, also rendered in black on white paper, mirrors the obverse guilloche border treatment and presents the Dutch-language issuer name BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO in bold letterpress at the top. The central panel carries the denomination TWEE FRANK within a cartouche alongside the payability legend BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT and manuscript signature lines, with the numeral 2 repeated in each lateral panel. The lower margin bears the Dutch anti-counterfeiting warning DE NAMAKER WORDT DOOR DE WET MET DWANGARBEID GESTRAFT. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| 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.