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20 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1912-1937 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Allegorical vignette of Ceres at upper left, flanked by a kneeling female figure with hammer and anvil and a standing female figure bearing an elephant tusk at left, rendered in intaglio against a fine guilloche underprint. The face value and issuing authority appear in bold letterpress legends across the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO TWINTIG FRANK BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT DE NAMAKER WORDT DOOR DE WET MET DWANGARBEID GESTRAFT |
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| Comments |
The Banque du Congo Belge was established in 1909, the same year Leopold II's private colony was formally transferred to the Belgian state — a transition driven largely by international pressure over documented atrocities. This note series spans nearly three decades of that uneasy new order, during which the bank held the monopoly on currency issue for a territory roughly eighty times the size of Belgium itself.
The extended date range reflects a long print run with minimal design changes, not multiple distinct issues. Specimens and unsigned printer's proofs are more frequently encountered than circulated examples, which absorbed considerable punishment in tropical conditions.