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5 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge (Bank van Belgisch Congo) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A naturalistically rendered African elephant strides to the left in high relief, occupying the majority of the coin's field. The animal is depicted in full profile with prominent tusks and a raised trunk, conveying a sense of strength and movement. A faint ground line runs beneath the elephant's feet, anchoring the composition. The date '1947' is inscribed in the lower exergue in clear, evenly spaced numerals. The design is framed by a finely toothed inner border consistent with the obverse. |
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| Reverse lettering | 1947 |
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| Additional information |
The Banque du Congo Belge was granted its note-issuing monopoly in 1909, the same year Leopold II's personal fiefdom was transferred to the Belgian state following international outcry over atrocities in the rubber trade. Brass coinage for the colony was periodically struck in Belgium and shipped across, a logistical exercise complicated during the war years by Atlantic convoy losses and competing wartime demand on Belgian industrial capacity in exile.
The 1947 issue arrived in the immediate postwar reorganization of colonial currency, when Belgium was simultaneously rebuilding its domestic monetary system and reasserting administrative control over the Congo after wartime disruptions.