I have always been intrigued by old paper money from African countries. This is for two reasons: first, money from African countries tends to get beat up quite fast so there are few good examples of older banknotes, and second because African countries have the opportunity to print images of flora and fauna that is both unique to the continent and world renowned. Prime examples are gorillas, lions, and gazelles. Aside from these topics, there is also plenty of opportunity to display unique cultures.

For me, these banknotes are a great investment opportunity, because these factors make for a high demand for these banknotes, and the supply is only getting smaller. Even banknotes that are not currently valued very high by the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money will surely go up in value in a significant way with little time.

This having been said I have picked up a Belgian Congo banknote from 1959. It is the 20 Franc banknote which features a young boy at left on the face with a village and reservoir in the background, and a river landscape with a young African girl on the back. Unfortunately the banknote is pretty much monotone, but still attractive by design. In VF condition this banknote is worth only $10 according to catalog prices, but it seems to always sell for around $20USD. I managed to get this one for $15.50, but that is a rare deal as far as I can tell. Here’s a picture:

20 Francs from the Belgian Congo (1959; p31)