100 Francs CFA Herzogin Cecilie

The Herzogin Cecilie was a four-masted steel barque launched in 1902 for the Norddeutscher Lloyd line, later sold into grain trading and ultimately wrecked off the Devon coast in 1936 after striking Ham Stone. The Republic of Congo had no connection to the vessel — this is squarely within the tradition of small African states licensing their minting rights to European distributors who selected subjects purely for collector appeal in the 1990s novelty market.

Krause KM#32 confirms a commemorative-only issue with no circulation purpose whatsoever.