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50 Francs 'Moise Tshombé'
| Issuer | Banque Nationale du Katanga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DU KATANGA cinquante francs PAYABLES À VUE UN DIRECTEUR ELISABETHVILLE |
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| Variants | P#7a - issued note P#7r - remainder without serial # |
| Comments |
Katanga's secession from the newly independent Congo lasted from July 1960 until January 1963, and the Banque Nationale du Katanga issued this note as part of a deliberate assertion of financial independence backed by the province's copper revenues. Moise Tshombé, who led the breakaway state with significant support from Belgian mining interests and mercenary forces, had his name attached to the series almost immediately in popular usage — a rare case where a living regional strongman becomes the informal eponym of a currency within months of its printing.
The "Printed: 30.04.1945" date in the catalog data is almost certainly a keying error; the secession did not begin until 1960 and no credible source places Katangan note production in 1945.