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50 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Congo Belge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | A left-facing elephant in bold relief occupies the central field, depicted in a naturalistic style with prominent tusks and finely detailed skin texture. The date 1944 is inscribed below the elephant. The design is attributed to engraver Armand Bonnetain and reflects the colonial iconographic tradition of featuring African wildlife as the principal motif. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The large denomination numeral '50' dominates the central field, accompanied by the abbreviation 'Fr' to its right, rendered in bold serif characters. A five-pointed star flanks each side of the denomination at the mid-field level. The bilingual legend of the issuing bank curves around the periphery, reading 'BANQUE DU CONGO BELGE' in French along the upper arc and 'BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO' in Dutch along the lower arc, separated by the flanking stars. The entire design is contained within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
The Banque du Congo Belge issued this coin from New York — specifically the Waterbury, Connecticut facilities of Scoville Manufacturing, later confirmed through contract records — because the Belgian government-in-exile had no access to European minting infrastructure during the German occupation. Congolese mineral wealth, particularly uranium from the Shinkolobwe mine, was simultaneously fueling the Manhattan Project, making the colony's economic continuity a matter of Allied strategic interest.
The .600 fine silver specification was a deliberate reduction from prewar standards, reflecting wartime metal constraints.