Belgian Congo 2 Francs

Zinc was an unlikely hero for the Belgian Congo's coinage in 1943 and 1944, stepping in when copper and other metals vanished amid wartime shortages.

These 2 Francs pieces were struck at the colonial mint in Léopoldville, using zinc planchets that reflected the era's resourcefulness. The obverse bore a simple bust of King Leopold III, while the reverse featured the colony's palm tree motif—a design choice as straightforward as the metal itself. Mintage figures remain murky; records from that period are scarce, likely lost in postwar chaos.

Some specimens show the effects of zinc's reactivity, with surfaces that corrode over time. It's a coin that whispers of survival, not glory.

Collectors might note the occasional oddity: a coin so plain it could pass for a wartime ration token.