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50 Francs
| Issuer | Banque Centrale du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953-1955 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Francs |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE CENTRALE DU CONGO BELGE ET DU RUANDA-URUNDI CINQUANTE FRANCS PAYABLES A VUE LE CONTREFACTEUR EST PUNI DE SERVITUDE PÉNALE LE PREMIER DIRECTEUR LE GOUVERNEUR |
| Reverse description | A central intaglio vignette illustrates two African fishermen standing in rocky shallows, drawing a large net between them, with a dramatic waterfall landscape in the background. A large blank oval watermark panel occupies the left field, flanked by decorative foliate motifs. The composition is rendered in dark green intaglio against a lighter-toned guilloche border. |
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| Comments |
The Banque Centrale du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi was itself a transitional institution — established in 1952 when the Banque du Congo Belge relinquished its note-issuing privilege, it existed barely a decade before independence movements dissolved the colonial monetary union entirely. This series was among the first issues under that new authority, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson at their New Malden works during a period when the firm handled a substantial share of British colonial currency contracts across Africa and Asia.
Ruanda-Urundi's inclusion in the currency zone was a direct consequence of Belgian administration under a League of Nations mandate — the two territories shared no organic economic logic with the Congo, only administrative convenience.