Currency of the Belgian Congo
series of 1896
This specimen was lot 1349 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €2,200 (about US$2,837 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Etat indépendant, 10 francs, 7 février 1896. Non perforé. Pick 1a; Martiny, Congo, EIC1. Extrêmement rare. Traces de plis. N° 1044 M. Seulement 9 exemplaires répertoriés. très bien conservé. Il s'agit de la première et unique émission de billets pour l'Etat indépendant de Congo. Le décret royal du 7 février 1896 prévoyait l'émission de coupures de 10 francs et de 100 francs pour un total de 400.000 francs, limité ensuite à 269.850 francs, soit 2.000 billets de 100 francs et 6.985 billets de 10 francs. 5.000 billets de 10 francs (n° A 000001 R à A 005000 K) furent envoyés au Congo à bord du SS Dahomey le 6 avril 1896 et arrivèrent à Boma le 13 mai 1896. De ces 5.000 billets, 15 ne furent pas émis, la lettre de contrôle qui était estampillée manuellement ne figure pas dans les registres. Les 2.000 billets restant (n° A 005001 C à A 007000 X) furent expédiés l’année suivante, le 6 février 1897, à bord du SS Léopoldville. (Congo, Free State, ten francs of February 1896, not perforated. Extremely rare, traces of folds, only nine examples reported. very good. This is the first and only issue of notes for the Congo Free State. The royal decree of February 7, 1896 provided for the issue of denominations of 10 francs and 100 francs for a total of 400,000 francs, subsequently limited to 269,850 francs, or 2,000 100-franc notes and 6,985 10-franc notes. 5,000 10 franc notes (n° A 000001 R to A 005000 K) were sent to Congo aboard the SS Dahomey on April 6, 1896 and arrived in Boma on May 13, 1896. Of these 5,000 notes, 15 were not issued, the control letter which was manually stamped does not appear in the records. The remaining 2,000 notes (no. A 005001 C to A 007000 X) were sent the following year, on February 6, 1897, aboard the SS Léopoldville.)"
series of 1914
This specimen was lot 1354 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €500 (about US$645 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 1 franc, 15.10.14, Matadi. Pick 3b; Martiny, Congo, BCB1-M1. Superbe. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, one franc of October 1914. Extremely Fine.)"
series of 1920-30
The first specimen was lot 1360 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €2,800 (about US$3,611 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 5 francs, 2.4.24, Elisabethville. Pick 4; Martiny, Congo, BCB2-E6. N° E1418357. Extrêmement rare dans cette qualité. Neuf. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, five francs of April 1924, Elisabethville branch. Extremely rare in this quality. New.)"
The second specimen was lot 1368 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €1,900 (about US$2,450 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 5 francs, 4.4.30, sans le nom de la filiale. Pick 8e; Martiny, Congo, BCB4-2. Légèrement froissé. Superbe. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, five francs of April 1930, without the name of the branch. Light wrinkles, Extremely Fine.)"
The third specimen was lot 1376 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €1,800 (about US$2,321 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 20 francs, 4.7.27, Stanleyville. Pick 10e; Martiny, Congo, BCB6-S8. Extrêmement rare. N° 036.K.649. Trous d'épingle et traces de plis. Seulement 5 exemplaires répertoriés. Beau à Très Beau. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, twenty francs of July 1927, Stanleyville branch. Extremely rare, pinholes and creases, oly five examples reported. Fine - Very Fine.)"
The fourth specimen was lot 1386 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €2,400 (about US$3,095 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 100 francs, 1.2.29, sans le nom de la filiale. Pick 11f; Martiny, Congo, BCB9. Très rare. N° 017.O.422. Légères traces de plis. Très Beau. 288.000 billets sans le nom de la filiale furent imprimés et livrés à la Banque du Congo belge (série 015.A.001 - 026.N.1000). 176.500 billets furent annulés en mai 1940 et incinérés le 23 janvier 1941 (série 019.M.001 - 026.N.1000). (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, one hundred francs of February 1929, without the name of the branch. Very rare, light creases, Very Fine. 288,000 banknotes without the name of the subsidiary were printed and delivered to the Belgian Bank of Congo. 176,500 banknotes were canceled in May 1940 and burned in January 1941.)"
The fifth specimen was lot 1388 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €3,600 (about US$4,642 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 1000 francs, 3.11.20, Kinshasa. Pick 12b; Martiny, Congo, BCB10-K5. De la plus haute rareté. N° 001.Y.589. Seulement 2 exemplaires répertoriés pour la série 001. très bien conservé. 22.000 billets destinés à la filiale de la Banque du Congo belge à Kinshasa furent imprimés à Bruxelles par la Banque Nationale de Belgique. Ces billets furent commandés le 7 mai 1920 et livrés le 12 mars 1921 (série 001.D.001 - 001.Z.1000). On n'en connaît que deux exemplaires (001.V.394 et 001.Y.589). 25.000 nouveaux billets furent ensuite commandés le 7 novembre 1926 et livrés le 20 mars 1928. Ces billets portent aussi la date du 3.11.20 et les mêmes signatures que la commande précédente car il fallait utiliser le stock de papier imprimé lors de la première commande en y ajoutant seulement la série et le numéro (série 002.A.001 - 002.Z.1000). Sous l’occupation allemande, 1.000 billets de cette série 002 furent annulés et brûlés le 23 janvier 1941 (série 002.Z.001 - 002.Z.1000). (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, one thousand francs of November 1920, Kinshasa branch. Extremely rare, only two examples reported of series 001. Very good. 22,000 banknotes intended for the subsidiary of the Belgian Bank of Congo in Kinshasa were printed in Brussels by the National Bank of Belgium. These banknotes were ordered on May 7, 1920 and delivered on March 12, 1921 (series 001.D.001 - 001.Z.1000). Only two examples are known (001.V.394 and 001.Y.589). 25,000 new notes were then ordered on November 7, 1926 and delivered on March 20, 1928. These notes also bear the date of 3.11.20 and the same signatures as the previous order because it was necessary to use the stock of paper printed during the first order in adding only the series and the number (series 002.A.001 - 002.Z.1000). Under the German occupation, 1,000 banknotes of this series 002 were canceled and burned on January 23, 1941.)"
series of 1941-46
The first specimen was lot 1393 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €120 (about US$155 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 10 francs, 10.12.41. Pick 14A; Martiny, Congo, BCB16. Série E. Légères traces de plis. Très Beau. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, ten francs of December 1941, Light creases, Very Fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 1398 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €400 (about US$516 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 20 francs, 10.05.44. Cinquième émission. Pick 15C; Martiny, Congo, BCB22-3. Série L. Légères traces de plis. Très Beau. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, twenty francs of May 1944, fifth emission. Light creases, Very Fine.)"
The third specimen was lot 1401 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €260 (about US$335 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 20 francs, 10.04.46. Pick 15E; Martiny, Congo, BCB23. Série Y. Petite taches. Superbe (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, Extremely Fine.)"
The fourth specimen was lot 5028 in Ponterio sale 152 (New York, January 2010), where it sold for $552. The catalog description noted, "BELGIAN CONGO. 500 Francs, ND (1941-45). P-18Ap. (Lot of 2 notes.) Front and Back Proofs. A bright pair which shows the design with crisp detail. The reverse piece has a 24mm tear which extends into the design with the front showing some thinning of the paper. Hinge remnants are also observed. Even with the drawbacks, the note still will be quite well received. ABOUT UNCIRCULATED."
series of 1947-49
This specimen was lot 1406 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €320 (about US$413 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 50 francs, 1949. Série I. Pick 16g; Martiny, Congo, BCB27-5. Traces de plis. Très Beau. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, fifty francs of 1949, series I. Light creases, Very Fine.)"
This specimen was lot 1415 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €320 (about US$413 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 100 francs, 16.07.49. Série G. Pick 17d; Martiny, Congo, BCB28-4. Très rare. Légères traces de plis. Seulement 3 exemplaires répertoriés. Très Beau. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, on hundred francs of July 1949. Very rare, light creases, only trhee examples reported. Very Fine.)"
This specimen was lot 1424 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €2,600 (about US$3,353 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque du Congo belge, 1000 francs, 10.4.1947. Pick 19b; Martiny, Congo, BCB30-3 (cet exemplaire illustré). N° D72767. Traces de plis. Seulement 7 exemplaires répertoriés pour la série D. Rare dans cette qualité. Très Beau. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo, one thousand francs of April 1947. Traces of folds, ony seven examples reported of series D. Rare in this quality, Very Fine.)"
series of 1953
The first specimen was lot 1438 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €320 (about US$413 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque centrale du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 20 francs, 15.12.53. Série G. Pick 26; Martiny, Congo, BCCBRU6-1. Superbe. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo and Rwanda-Urundi, twenty francs of December 1953, series G. Extremely Fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 1631 in Jean Elsen sale 135 (Brussels, December 2017), where it sold for €1,450 (about US$2,009 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"CONGO BELGE, Banque centrale du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 50 francs, 15.11.1953. Shafer & Bruce 27a. Très rare. Fleur de Coin. (Belgian Congo, Central Bank, fifty francs of 1953. Very rare, Uncirculated.)"
The third specimen was lot 1444 in Jean Elsen sale 157 (Brussels, December 2023), where it sold for €1,500 (about US$1,934 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"CONGO, Banque centrale du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 500 francs, 15.03.53. Série A. Pick 28a; Martiny, Congo, BCCBRU8-2. Très rare. Traces de plis. Très Beau. (Congo, Central Bank of the Belgian Congo and Rwanda-Urundi, 500 francs of March 1953, series A. Very rare, traces of folds, Very Fine.)"
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, and Kent Ponterio, Ponterio sale 152: The 2010 NYINC Auction, Irvine, CA: Bowers and Merena, 2009.
- [2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 135, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2017.
- [3]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 157, Collection J.-C. Martiny, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2023.
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