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20 Francs
| Issuer | Banque Nationale de Belgique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1926-1940 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Conjoined portraits of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth in left vignette, both in formal attire, set within an oval frame surrounded by intricate guilloche border work. The denomination '20 VINGT FRANCS' appears in bold letterpress at centre, with the date of issue printed at top and serial numbers at upper left, upper right, and lower corners. Inscriptions 'BANQUE NATIONALE DE BELGIQUE' across the top and 'PAYABLES A VUE' below the denomination, with dual signature lines for Le Trésorier and Le Gouverneur at lower centre, and an anti-counterfeiting warning panel at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DE BELGIQUE 20 VINGT FRANCS PAYABLES A VUE TRÉSORERIE THESAURIE LA LOI PUNIT LE CONTREFACTEUR DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS |
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| Comments |
This note ran through an unusually long issuance window — over fourteen years and multiple signature combinations — which reflects the Belgian National Bank's conservative approach to note replacement rather than any monetary instability. The Stacquet & Franck pairing covers the bulk of surviving examples from the early-to-mid 1930s, while the 1940 Sontag & Janssen dates correspond to the months immediately surrounding the German invasion of May that year.
The "TRÈSORERIE"/"THESAURIE" overprinted variant (P-111) was a wartime administrative reclassification, shifting liability from the central bank to the Treasury — a distinction that mattered considerably under occupation.