Katanga, 500 Francs 1960 — Incomplete Printing Proof (Pick 9r) — PMG Ineligible Type, (See item description field)

Katanga, 500 Francs 1960 — Incomplete Printing Proof (Pick 9 — Intermediate Production Stage)— PMG Ineligible Type (Remainder)

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Descriptive Characteristics:

• Reference base: Remainder – Pick 9r (500 Francs 1960)
• Type: Printing proof / technical production proof (not issued)
• Technical status: No serial number, no date, no signatures (final black printing layer not applied)
• PMG classification: Ineligible Type – Remainder — Printing Proof (intermediate proofs are not eligible)
• Issuer: Banque Nationale du Katanga
• Official issue date of the corresponding type: 31‑10‑1960
• Dimensions: Approximately 153 × 83 mm
• Paper: Swiss security paper, without watermark
• Security features: No watermark and no security thread
• Printing process: Multi‑stage offset/rotary printing with successive colour passes
• Printing — Obverse: Three visible colour layers (brown, green, violet); complete absence of the final black layer (signatures, date, numbering — not present on the Pick 9r remainder type); partial registration typical of intermediate production proofs.
• Printing — Reverse: Only the first brown layer applied; absence of final colour layers and detail; incomplete graphic structure revealing an early stage of the production process.
• Predominant colours: Brown, green and violet in varying intensities and incomplete layers
• Numbering / signatures: Not present on the Pick 9r remainder type
• Specific physical condition: Vertical and horizontal fold (folded in four); handling marks consistent with workshop technical proofs
• Rarity: Extremely rare example; intermediate production proofs of this type are not catalogued under Pick 9r and very few survive the industrial printing process

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 it occurs — but were instead identified as material not eligible for encapsulation, as they do not have an assigned Pick reference. Even so, they were returned in individual PMG sleeves, labeled with the designation “Ineligible Type” / “Remainder”, ensuring their preservation, traceability, and proper technical classification within the certification process.

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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Intermediate printing proof of the 500 Francs 1960 Katanga note (Pick 9r), produced by Roto‑Sadag during the alignment and color‑registration phase. The obverse shows three printing layers without the final black layer (signatures, date, serial numbers), while the reverse displays only the first brown layer. An exceptionally rare production artifact.