Catalog
20 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central vignette presents two mahouts riding work elephants through a lush jungle clearing, with additional elephants visible in the background among tropical palms and dense vegetation. The denomination "20" appears in large numerals at the lower right, with an oval watermark window positioned at the lower left. Ornate guilloche borders with star corners surround the entire design. |
| Reverse lettering | BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO TWINTIG FRANK BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT De Afg Beheerder De Voorzitter 20 FRANK DE NAMAKER WORDT DOOR DE WET MET DWANGARBEID GESTRAFT THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED, LONDON (Translation: BANK OF BELGIAN CONGO TWENTY FRANK PAYABLE AT SIGHT The Afg Administrator The President 20 FRANK THE COUNTERFEITER IS PUNISHED BY LAW WITH FORCED LABOUR THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED, LONDON) |
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| Comments |
The Banque du Congo Belge's wartime series presents a logistical puzzle that the pick number alone doesn't resolve. By 1940, with Belgium occupied by Germany, the colonial banking apparatus lost direct access to European printers under normal conditions. Thomas De La Rue continued production in London — the Congo remaining under the administration of the Belgian government-in-exile — making these notes one of the more direct material traces of how Belgian colonial finance was managed from Britain during the occupation.
P#15 is known to exist with multiple date and signature combinations, and authentication of legitimate signatories matters here more than condition.