I am currently in Congo (DRC). If you didn’t know, this is one of the richest (natural resources) but at the same time poorest (GDP 222/225) countries in the world. Today I’ve been visiting the National Museum of Congo (MNRDC) in Ngaliema/Kinshasa and was surprised to see a couple of coins. Now I’ve got your full attention, right? :-D Unfortunately I couldn’t find anybody to tell me more about those, so I’ll just post some pictures. Let me know what you think or know about those coins. -Michael @Seattlite86 @Rheingold @Eduard
Okay, here’s a picture of the coins from a different angle: EN translation: Palata plates, Lower Congo used as currency in colonial times, these aluminum plates were used to pay taxes. Not coin-related, but I still wanted to share some highlights with you: Masque Yaka (Bandundu province) Masque Mwana Pwo Tshokwe (Kasaï-Occidental province)
WOW! And double WOW! I've never seen anything like those coins. Probably for the last 50 years I've lived in the United States Georgia and North Carolina.
I was there in 2017. The museum was then housed in some old buildings inside Mobutu's old palace complex and you had to pay a small bribe to the soldiers at the outer gate to enter the area. Only 2 or 3 rooms were open. I was told the Koreans ( ?) were building a new museum. Has it opened ?
The MNRDC is still at the same place (or next door) but it’s now a “real” museum. Apparently the Koreans (KOICA) funded it. There were only a couple of small expositions, but they have a nice restaurant there, so altogether it’s certainly worth a visit.
Along with the circulation coins there are head or poll tax tokens pictured and I think that is what the translated document is describing. Here are some images from Google. Interesting. I want some. https://www.google.com/search?sourc...AhUGoRQKHTlWBroQjJkEegQIGBAC&biw=1366&bih=587
I would like to get one of those big, copper Katanga crosses. Wonder if you could buy one (or more?) there? Also some of the old Belgian Congo coins are very desirable. Check around junk stores, etc.
Interesting post! I suppose that the coins and aluminum tokens were part of an ornament. I recently achieved one of my numismatic goals. I had wanted to have one of these big coins since I was a kid in 1964 when I saw one in R. S. Yeoman's book A Catalog of Modern World Coins. Belgian Congo 50 Francs 1944 Silver, 35 mm, 17.37 gm, 500 fine Obverse: Elephant facing left / 1944 Reverse: BANQUE DU CONGO BELGE (French) / BANK VAN BELGISCH CONGO (Flemish) / 50 FR Mint: South African Mint in Pretoria
Kin la Belle, as the locals used to call it when I was there in the 1970s. I picked up some very good artefacts at very reasonable prices, but no old coins, though on each visit I brought back handfuls of coins, some practically uncirculated, and a few scruffy old banknotes
Belgian coins routinely use either French or Flemish spellings, so please do not be alarmed at what looks like a dubious spelling to you. I think some have Dutch or German words also. Most Belgians are very multi lingual, and that makes them very employable in the world market.
There is an old one that goes: If you speak 3 languages, you are tri lingual. If you speak 2 languages you are bi lingual. If you speak one language, you are American. Yes, I carry an American passport, yet I can converse in several different languages.
You're missing the point I think. All the others are BELGISCH, it's only the 2Fr that's missing the C.
Lots of interesting coins from the Belgian Congo. I have one that I can't photograph right now because I had shoulder surgery this morning, but it looks like this:
