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5 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943-1947 |
| 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 | 103 × 83 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO VIJF FRANK BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT DERDE UITGIFTE – 1943 DE ADJUNCT-DIRECTEUR VOOR AFRIKA DE DIRECTEUR VOOR AFRIKA DE NAMAKER WORDT DOOR DE WET MET DWANGARBEID GESTRAFT |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Variants | P#13Aa - Troisième Émission - 10.01.1943 P#13Ab - Quatrième Émission - 10.08.1943 P#13Ac - Cinquième Émission - 10.03.1944 P#13Ad - Sixième Émission - 10.04.1947 |
| Comments |
Waterlow & Sons produced this series under wartime conditions — by 1943, the Belgian government-in-exile in London was administering Congo Belge's finances from afar, and the colony's currency supply had to be managed entirely through British printers. The notes were shipped to Léopoldville for issue, a logistical chain that made consistent quality control difficult across the full 1943–1947 span.
The small format was a deliberate cost reduction, not a design choice — paper rationing in wartime Britain affected banknote production alongside everything else. Waterlow was simultaneously fulfilling contracts for multiple governments-in-exile and colonial authorities during this period, which occasionally introduced minor plate inconsistencies between print runs.