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1 Franc
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge (Bank of Belgian Congo) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944-1949 |
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| Value | 1 Franc |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a left-facing African elephant in profile, rendered in a naturalistic style with fine surface detail. The date of issue appears in the exergue below the animal. The engraver Armand Bonnetain's stylized monogram 'AB' is discreetly placed behind the elephant's tail in the lower right field. |
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| Reverse lettering | AB 1949 |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Banque du Congo Belge issues of this period were struck not in Belgium — occupied until September 1944 — but arranged through wartime monetary agreements that shifted colonial currency production abroad. The Congo's considerable mineral wealth, particularly uranium from the Shinkolobwe mine, made maintaining a functional colonial currency a strategic priority for the Allied administration.
Brass was the practical compromise after nickel became a controlled war material.