Katanga — 20 Francs 1960, National Bank of Katanga — S/N GH280002 — Pick 6a — PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Cancelled)

Katanga — 20 Francs 1960, National Bank of Katanga — S/N GH280002 — Pick 6a — PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Cancelled), shows factory‑cut misalignment on the left and lower margins, as well as a cancellation punch over the face value.

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Descriptive Characteristics:

• World Paper Money Reference: Pick 6a
• Type: Issued note (with serial number)
• Serial number: GH280002 (printed in black)
• Technical status: With serial number, date and signature
• PMG classification: 63 Choice Uncirculated — Cancelled
• Issuer: National Bank of Katanga
• Official issue date: 21.11.1960 (printed in black)
• Place of production: Primary printing by Roto‑Sadag SA (Geneva, Switzerland)
• Technical finishing: Specialized finishing unit in Solothurn
• Dimensions: 136 × 75 mm
• Paper: Swiss standard security paper, without watermark
• Security features: No watermark or security thread; simple printing typical of urgent issues
• Printing process: Most likely offset/rotary printing, a technique commonly used by Roto‑Sadag
• Design — Obverse: Portrait of Moïse Tshombé; wavy‑line background; geometric elements characteristic of the 1960 issue
• Design — Reverse: Municipal Theatre of Elisabethville; simple and functional graphic composition
• Predominant colours: Turquoise blue and brown
• Signatures: On the obverse in black; on the reverse in brown
• Specific physical condition: Noticeable off‑centering (reduced left and lower margins)
• Cancellation: cancellation punch over the face value.
• Rarity: Rare in uncirculated and certified condition

Origin, Authenticity and Technical Framework of the Katanga Printing Proofs (1960)

When presenting this note — part of a group of printing proofs and experimental pieces whose origin is explained below — it is important to clarify its technical context and the certification process it underwent.

All items from this lot were submitted for evaluation by Paper Money Guaranty (PMG), the leading international authority in banknote certification. The results revealed an essential distinction:

• Notes corresponding to catalogued types — namely those listed in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money — were encapsulated and graded normally.

• Printing proofs and experimental pieces, however, were classified as “Ineligible Type”, as they do not fall within the category of notes issued for circulation.

These items were not rejected as counterfeit — something PMG always states explicitly when applicable. Instead, they were returned as non‑eligible for encapsulation, simply because they do not have an assigned Pick reference. Even so, they were returned in official PMG sleeves, properly labeled “Ineligible Type”, ensuring their preservation, identification, and technical framing.

The banknotes issued by Katanga between 1960 and 1961 are today among the most fascinating and scarce testimonies of African paper‑money history. Following the province’s declaration of independence in July 1960, Katanga sought to assert its political and economic sovereignty. For roughly two and a half years — until reintegration into the Republic of the Congo in 1963 — the state developed its own administrative structure, including the creation of currency and banknotes that are now rarely seen on the collectors’ market.

Regular notes were introduced on 9 January 1961, in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 francs. This first series, featuring the portrait of Moïse Tshombe, was printed by the Swiss company Roto‑Sadag SA in Geneva, and subsequently finished at a specialized facility in Solothurn. This detail is crucial to understanding not only the technical quality of the notes, but also the existence of preparatory printing material associated with their production.

In a context of political instability and administrative urgency, the production of these notes involved several experimental phases: graphic trials, color proofs, printing tests, plate alignment checks, and technical adjustments. It is precisely from this process that some of the rarest and previously undocumented pieces in Katanga’s monetary history emerged — the printing proofs.

The pieces presented here belong to this extremely restricted universe. Not intended for circulation, they represent intermediate stages of the creation process, used to validate colors, test plates, adjust security elements, and approve the final design. By nature, they were produced in very small quantities and, in most cases, destroyed once testing was completed. Only a handful of examples survived — and almost always of the final notes, not of the intermediate stages.

Among these proofs are particularly unusual variants, such as overprinted impressions, color tests on reused sheets, or elements of different denominations printed on the same substrate — clear evidence of the experimental and functional nature of these materials during production.

The origin of this group adds an additional layer of uniqueness. The pieces come from the collection of a late Luso‑descendant collector who lived and worked for many years in Switzerland — precisely the country where these notes were produced. Among his archives were these Katanga rarities, preserved for decades and now revealed to the public for the first time.

It is important to emphasize that printing proofs from this specific issue are virtually unknown on the market, rarely appearing in commercial circuits, international auctions, or publicly accessible institutional collections. Their presence outside specialized archives is exceptional, giving them not only historical value but also significant interest for advanced collectors.

These pieces should not be viewed as mere curiosities or simple variants, but as authentic fragments of the monetary creation process of a short‑lived state. They represent the moment when the idea of a currency becomes a physical object — even before entering circulation. In this sense, they stand as direct witnesses to the ambition, urgency, and technical complexity that shaped Katanga’s brief independent history.

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Katanga 20 Francs banknote, 1960 issue, certified PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated with “Cancelled” designation. Pick 6a example bearing serial number GH280002, printed by Roto‑Sadag in Switzerland. Shows factory‑cut misalignment on the left and lower margins, as well as a cancellation punch over the face value. A rare uncirculated piece from the first monetary issue of the State of Katanga.