Catalog
50 Makuta
| Issuer | Banque du Zaïre |
|---|---|
| Year | 1973-1978 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait of President Mobutu Sese Seko within an oval vignette at left center, wearing glasses and a suit; a multicolored guilloche rosette occupies the center with the denomination legend 'CINQUANTE MAKUTA' overprinted across it in red. A leaping leopard vignette appears at lower right, with the Zaire national arms medallion at lower left. The upper border carries the bank title 'BANQUE DU ZAÏRE' flanked by the numeral '50' on a red guilloche panel; an oval cartouche inscribed 'CINQUANTE MAKUTA' appears at lower right, and a Governor's signature with date is printed below the central rosette. |
|---|---|
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| Variants | P#16a - J. Sambwa Mbagui (Sig.3). 30.06.1973; 04.10.1974; 04.10.1975. Red guilloche at left center on back. P#16b - J. Sambwa Mbagui (Sig.3). 24.06.1976; 24.06.1977. Red and purple guilloche at left center on back. P#16c - Bofossa W. Amba (Sig.4). 20.05.1978. Red and purple guilloche at left center on back. |
| Comments |
Zaïre's monetary system was inaugurated in 1967 when Mobutu replaced the Congolese franc, and this 50 Makuta — one hundredth of a zaïre — belongs to the first standardized series issued under that framework. Giesecke & Devrient produced the notes in Munich across a five-year run, during which the guilloche security panel on the reverse quietly shifted from a single red to a combined red-and-purple configuration beginning with the June 1976 signature date. That change is the key diagnostic for collectors distinguishing the earlier from the later issues within P#16.