10 Francs Mercedes 1927

The "Mercedes" in this coin's title refers not to the German automaker but to Mercedes Jellinek, the daughter of Emil Jellinek — the Austro-Hungarian diplomat and racing enthusiast who commissioned Daimler to build a faster car and insisted it bear his daughter's name. The 1901 Mercedes 35 HP that resulted effectively ended the horseless-carriage era and established the template for the modern automobile.

The DRC has issued hundreds of these novelty commemoratives since the late 1990s, largely targeting the European collector market rather than domestic circulation. This piece never saw the Congo.