Catalog
5 Zaires
| Issuer | Banque Nationale du Congo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1967-1970 |
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| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited, London, United Kingdom |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait of President Mobutu Sese Seko in military uniform at right, facing left, set against a multicolour guilloche underprint with horizontal striped bands in teal, yellow and pink. A large circular watermark void occupies the left-centre field, flanked by an ornate cross-shaped guilloche rosette, with the denomination stated in two bold lines at centre and the date above. The BNC monogram appears at lower left, with a facsimile signature and the title LE GOUVERNEUR below. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DU CONGO CINQ ZAÏRES OU CINQ CENTS MAKUTA THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED |
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| Comments |
The Banque Nationale du Congo replaced the Banque Centrale du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi following independence, and the Zaïre — introduced in 1967 at a rate of 1,000 francs — was the new state's first major assertion of monetary independence from the colonial currency framework. Thomas De La Rue handled the entire series, as they had for many newly independent African states during this period who lacked domestic printing infrastructure.
The 1967–1970 date span reflects reissues under different signature combinations rather than a single print run. P#13 specifically carries the first signature pairing of the series.