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5 Francs Belgium - King Albert I
| Issuer | Banque Centrale du Congo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
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| Value | 5 Francs |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a full-color photographic portrait of King Albert I of Belgium in civilian dress with a bow tie, facing slightly to the right, set within a circular colored field. To the left of the effigy appears the colored Belgian heraldic lion shield, and to the right a colored royal crown. The legend LE ROI DES BELGES arcs above the portrait, while ALBERT I. 1909-1934 is inscribed below, denoting his reign dates. The surrounding border bears the series title MAISONS ROYALES D'EUROPE DES SIECLES DERNIERS in raised Latin lettering on a dark ground. |
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| Additional information |
This piece was issued by the Banque Centrale du Congo in 1999, a period when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was barely a year into its renamed existence — Mobutu's Zaire had collapsed in 1997 under Laurent-Désiré Kabila's forces. Issuing a coin denominated in Belgian francs and bearing a Belgian king was a peculiar monetary choice for a sovereign state, reflecting the deep structural entanglement between Congolese and Belgian financial institutions that persisted long after independence in 1960.
Albert I died in a climbing accident at Marche-les-Dames in 1934, never having seen the full unraveling of the colonial order his reign helped entrench.