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1000 Francos CFA Codex Gigas
| Issuer | Equatorial Guinea |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
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| Currency | CFA franc (Bank of Central African States, 1984-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a vivid color-printed depiction of the Devil, the iconic full-page illumination from the medieval manuscript known as the Codex Gigas, rendered in polychrome enamel against a background of engraved Latin manuscript text passages. The demonic figure is shown seated frontally with raised clawed hands, red horns, and a grotesque visage, faithfully reproducing the famous 13th-century illustration. Skulls and crossbones adorn the border at intervals around the periphery. An open book device appears in the upper field, with the date 2016 inscribed above it, while the inscription CODEX GIGAS is rendered in large stylized lettering across the lower field. |
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| Additional information |
Equatorial Guinea has a long and somewhat chaotic history of issuing collector coins through external minting arrangements — pieces that often have little connection to the country's actual monetary circulation. This 2016 issue commemorates the Codex Gigas, a 13th-century Bohemian manuscript held at the National Library of Sweden, acquired as war spoil by Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War in 1648. The manuscript's nickname, "Devil's Bible," derives from a full-page illustration within it — the largest medieval manuscript in existence at roughly 92 cm tall.
The Equatorial Guinea connection is purely nominal; the CFA franc zone issuing authority had no hand in this piece.