Product Description:
This is not merely a banknote — it is a survivor. This 10 Francs / 2 Belgas note, issued by the Banque Nationale de Belgique (Nationale Bank van België) and dated February 1, 1943, passed through hands during one of the darkest chapters in European history: the Nazi occupation of Belgium during World War II. The wear and patina this note carries are not flaws — they are the fingerprints of wartime commerce, of a people going about daily life under foreign occupation, using whatever currency remained available to feed their families and keep their businesses alive. Housed in a protective rigid currency holder and elegantly presented within a handsome wood display frame with a black matted backdrop, this extraordinary piece of living history arrives ready to display.
(PSV 25)
Highlights:
- Issued by the Banque Nationale de Belgique / Nationale Bank van België, dated 01.02.1943
- Wartime issue — produced and circulated during the Nazi occupation of Belgium in WWII
- Bilingual text — Dutch (Tien Frank / Twee Belgas) on one face, French (Dix Francs / Deux Belgas) on the other
- Serial number N2957109 — the exact note pictured
- Features the interlocking BNB / NBB monogram — symbol of Belgium's bilingual central bank
- Demonetized — no longer legal tender, collectible only
- Beautifully framed and ready for display
Banknote Information:
- Country: Kingdom of Belgium
- Issuing Authority: Banque Nationale de Belgique / Nationale Bank van België
- Denomination: 10 Francs / 2 Belgas
- Date of Issue: 01.02.1943
- Serial Number: N2957109
- Pick Number: P-122 (1943 wartime series)
- Demonetization Status: Demonetized — replaced by post-war Belgian franc issues
Design Details:
Obverse (Dutch face — Nationale Bank van België): The Dutch-language face carries "NATIONALE BANK VAN BELGIË" in bold green text across the top border. At center, "TIEN FRANK / OF / TWEE BELGAS" is printed in large block letters, with "BETAALBAAR OP ZICHT" (payable on sight) below. The interlocking BNB monogram — rendered in an ornate guilloche medallion — occupies the left center. The denomination "10 FRANK" appears at right. Signatures of the Schatbewaarder (Treasurer) and Gouverneur appear at the bottom. A warning against counterfeiting runs along the lower border. The note's warm olive-green and aged amber tones speak to its wartime production and decades of history.
Reverse (French face — Banque Nationale de Belgique): The French-language face mirrors the composition, with "BANQUE NATIONALE DE BELGIQUE" across the top. "DIX FRANCS / OU / DEUX BELGAS / PAYABLE À VUE" appears at center, with the date 01.02.43 visible below. Serial number N2957109 appears twice — at upper left and upper right. "LE TRÉSORIER" and "LE GOUVERNEUR" label the respective signatures at the bottom, with "TRÉSORERIE" stamped in a central panel. The lower border carries the French counterfeiting warning.
Historical Significance:
Belgium in 1943 was three years into German occupation, which had begun with the lightning invasion of May 1940. The Belgian government and royal family had fled or surrendered, and the country was administered under a German military government that systematically extracted Belgian industrial output, agricultural production, and labor for the Nazi war machine. For ordinary Belgians, daily life meant rationing, black markets, curfews, and the constant presence of occupying forces.
The Banque Nationale de Belgique continued to operate under occupation — printing and distributing currency to keep the domestic economy functioning, even as that economy was being drained to support Germany's war effort. The wartime franc notes of this era were produced under severe material constraints: paper quality was reduced, designs were simplified, and the notes that entered circulation often saw hard use in a society under enormous stress. A note dated February 1943 would have been in active use during the darkest period of the occupation — months before the Allied landings in North Africa had turned the tide, years before liberation would come to Belgium in September 1944.
The dual-language format of this note — Dutch on one face, French on the other — reflects Belgium's deep linguistic divide between the Flemish north and the Walloon south, a division that has shaped Belgian politics, culture, and identity since the nation's founding in 1830. The Banque Nationale de Belgique has always operated bilingually, and its wartime notes are among the most vivid expressions of that institutional identity. The belga, a monetary unit equal to five francs introduced in 1926 as an accounting denomination, appears here in its final years — it was phased out after the war as Belgium rebuilt its monetary system.
For collectors of WWII history, European currency, or wartime artifacts, this framed 10 Francs note — serial number N2957109, the exact example pictured — is an irreplaceable window into occupied Europe. The wear it carries is not a detraction; it is the note's biography.
Presentation: Housed in a protective rigid currency holder and elegantly presented within a handsome wood display frame with a black matted backdrop. Ready to hang or display as-is — no additional framing or handling required.
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