10 Francs 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has issued an extraordinary volume of collector-market novelty pieces since the late 1990s, largely disconnected from any domestic monetary function. This coin commemorates the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, widely recognized as the first true gasoline-powered automobile, designed by Karl Benz and granted German imperial patent DRP-37435 in January of that year. The vehicle never saw Congo — the connection is purely commercial, targeting European and American thematic collectors through licensed distribution channels.

These issues were authorized under the Kabila-era government as foreign currency revenue. Virtually none entered circulation.