10 Francs Gorilla

The Democratic Republic of Congo has issued a large volume of commemorative pieces through third-party licensing arrangements — coins designed and distributed primarily for the collector market rather than domestic circulation. This gorilla issue falls squarely into that category, produced under contract rather than as a monetary priority of the Banque Centrale itself.

Silver-plated copper rather than actual silver keeps production costs low, a tell common to this wave of licensed African commemoratives from the mid-2000s onward.