10 Francs Blue - Yellow Parrot

The Democratic Republic of the Congo re-emerged as an issuing authority in 1997 following the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko and Laurent-Désiré Kabila's seizure of power — which also meant reverting the country's name from Zaire. The early collector coinage issued under the new state was largely contracted through European minting houses and aimed squarely at the wildlife bullion and novelty markets rather than domestic circulation.

This piece is part of a parrot series that used colored enamel application over struck silver, a technique increasingly common in the late 1990s as mints competed for collector attention. KM#30 has no circulation history whatsoever.