Belgian Congo 1906 20 centimes
This specimen was lot 32653 in Heritage sale 3064 (Chicago, April 2018), where it sold for $180. The catalog description[1] noted, "Royal Domain. Leopold II 20 Centimes 1906 MS65 PCGS. A gem example with goldenrod toning around the peripheries creating a visually pleasing frame for the symmetrical central design features." The history of the Congo has long been unhappy. The region was claimed by Leopold II of Belgium in the 1880's as his private domain, ostensibly to end the slave trade which had long afflicted the area. Instead, he instituted a reign of terror as natives were massacred if they failed to yield their assigned quota of rubber and ivory. Finally, after a world outcry, the government of Belgium annexed the area in 1908 and ended the most abusive practices. Still, few wept when the colonizers withdrew in 1960. Violence and exploitation continue to this day, fulfilling white racists' worst stereotypes about "darkest Africa." This type was struck 1906 and 1908.
Recorded mintage: 100,000.
Specification: copper-nickel, 25 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 11 (listed under Congo Free State).
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach and Warren Tucker, Heritage World Coin Auction 3064, featuring the Doug Robins Collection of Canadian Tokens, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.
Link to:
- 1909 5 centimes
- 1909 10 centimes
- 1909 20 centimes
- Coins and currency dated 1906
- return to coins of Belgian Congo