Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
10 Francs Lion, iridium
| Issuer | National Bank of Rwanda |
|---|---|
| Year | 2013 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | BANKI NKURU Y`U RWANDA REPUBULIKA Y`U RWANDA UBUMWI - UMURIMO - GUKUNDA IGIHUGU AMAFARANGA 10 ICUMI (Translation: Central Bank of Rwanda. Republic of Rwanda. Unity work patriotism. Ten francs.) |
| Reverse description | A left-facing lion (Panthera leo) head in high relief occupies the central field, rendered with fine mane detail in a naturalistic style. Surrounding the effigy, the circular legend includes the date of issue, the metal name in Latin, the fractional troy ounce weight, the fineness, and the chemical symbol of the metal. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Iridium is one of the densest and most corrosion-resistant elements on earth, and among the rarest in the Earth's crust — more associated with asteroid impact layers than with mint production runs. Rwanda's use of it here is largely a novelty play, positioning the National Bank within the small collector market for exotic-metal issues that expanded noticeably in the 2010s. No iridium coin circulated. None was meant to.
KM#97 is sparsely documented in standard references, with mintage figures difficult to independently verify — not unusual for low-volume exotic issues from smaller issuing authorities in this period.