Belgian Congo 1937 5 francs
This specimen was lot 55506 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $60. The catalog description[1] noted, "BELGIAN CONGO. 5 Francs, 1937. Leopold III. NGC AU-55." This type was issued 1936-37 and is common in circulated condition tho scarce choioe.
The history of the Congo is itself much less happy. 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: 11,400,000 plus a few specimens.
Specification: nickel bronze.
Catalog reference: KM-24.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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