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50 Francs / 10 Belgas
| Issuer | Banque Nationale de Belgique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1928-1935 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Francs (50 BEF) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| 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 |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Intaglio-printed in green tones, the reverse carries a central allegorical vignette by Anto Carte of a standing female figure holding a cornucopia, with a tall sailing ship and cityscape in the background. The legend 'NATIONALE BANK VAN BELGIE' is split across the top and bottom in letterpress, with the denomination '50 FRANK OF 10 BELGA' at lower left. A circular blank watermark reserve appears at the left, and the composition is framed by a decorative guilloche border with floral corner ornaments. |
| Reverse lettering | NATIONALE BANK VAN BELGIE 50 FRANK OF 10 BELGA DE SCHATBEWAARDER DE GOUVERNEUR ANTO-CARTE FEC. M. POORTMAN SC. |
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| Comments |
The Belga was introduced in 1926 as a trade unit equal to five francs, an accounting convenience designed to simplify exchange calculations with Belgium's major commercial partners. Printing this denomination with both valuations was a practical necessity during the transitional years before the franc's role was quietly sidelined.
Anto Carte was a Symbolist painter, an unusual choice for a banknote commission — his involvement likely accounts for the note's reputation as one of the more artistically ambitious Belgian issues of the interwar period. Minguet and Poortman were both experienced intaglio engravers at the Institut de Gravure, and the combination kept production within Belgium rather than routing it through foreign security printers.