Belgian Congo 1921 5 centimes
This specimen was lot 1562 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €320 (about US$446 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"CONGO BELGE, Albert Ier (1909-1934), Cupro-nickel 5 centimes, 1921, Bruxelles. Non troué. Très rare. Très Beau à Superbe. (Belgian Congo, Albert I, 1909-34, copper nickel five centimes of 1921, Brussels mint, without center hole. Very rare, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
This type was struck 1910-11, 1917-21, 1925-28 at Brussels and Heaton in Birmingham. The Heaton product was not mintmarked; the two mints are distinguished, according to Numista, by the shape and size of the lettering. The missing hole on this example is a mint error and valuable as such.
The history of the Congo has long been unhappy. The region was claimed by Leopold III 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."
Recorded mintage: 17,260,000 from Brussels plus 3,000,000 from Heaton.
Specification: 2.5 g, copper-nickel, 19 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: KM 17, Dupriez 196 var.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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