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100 Francs Frau Holle
| Issuer | Niger |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features the national emblem of Niger at center, depicting a crowned heraldic design with crossed traditional weapons beneath, set against a plain field. The circular legend REPUBLIQUE DU NIGER arcs along the upper periphery in raised Latin characters. The denomination 100 FRANCS CFA is inscribed in two lines across the lower portion of the field. The design is rendered in high relief against a polished gold surface. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a colorized scene inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Frau Holle, depicting two female figures — one industrious, one idle — in a domestic interior setting rendered in vibrant enamel-style color. The name FRAU HOLLE is inscribed in bold raised letters along the lower portion of the field, serving as the primary legend. The date 2016 and the fineness and weight specifications 1/2 G .999 FINE GOLD appear as additional inscriptions within the design, affirming the coin's bullion character. The overall composition is framed within the circular flan of this miniature gold issue. |
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| Additional information |
Niger has issued a long-running series of miniature gold pieces featuring characters from Grimm's fairy tales, aimed squarely at the collector market rather than circulation. Frau Holle, recorded by the Brothers Grimm in their 1812 Kinder- und Hausmärchen, derives from an older Germanic figure associated with winter, snow, and domestic virtue — the shaking of her feather bed was the folk explanation for snowfall.
The choice of Niger as issuer is purely administrative; the coins are produced under license arrangements common to several West African franc zone nations whose nominal authority lends legal tender status to bullion pieces they will never see in domestic use.