10 Francs H.M.B. Endeavour

The H.M.B. Endeavour commemorated here is James Cook's converted Whitby collier, chosen for Pacific exploration precisely because its flat bottom allowed it to be beached for hull repairs — a practical necessity that saved the crew after the 1770 Great Barrier Reef grounding. The Democratic Republic of Congo has no maritime history connecting it to Cook's voyages; this is a bullion-adjacent commemorative issued squarely for the collector export market, a revenue stream the Banque Centrale relied on heavily during the economic collapse following Laurent-Désiré Kabila's assassination in January 2001.