Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
10 Francs Papal Visit to Switzerland
| Issuer | Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1998-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | A standing lion in full profile faces right, rendered in fine relief upon a polished field, with grass indicated beneath its paws. The legend REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO curves along the upper periphery, while the denomination 10 FRANCS appears in the lower field beneath the central device. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has issued commemorative silver pieces under foreign licensing arrangements since the late 1990s, with the actual minting typically contracted to European facilities rather than the DRC's own limited infrastructure. This 2004 issue marks John Paul II's 1984 visit to Switzerland — one of 104 foreign trips he made during his pontificate, a travel record no previous pope had approached.
By 2004, John Paul II was in severe physical decline from Parkinson's disease, making retrospective issues like this one carry an implicit valedictory tone the market recognized almost immediately.