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1000 Francos CFA Codex Gigas
| Issuer | Equatorial Guinea |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1000 Francos CFA |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the national coat of arms of Equatorial Guinea, depicting a silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) above a shield with an argent base representing the sea, flanked by six six-pointed stars arranged in an arc above. A scroll beneath the shield bears the national motto in three sections: UNIDAD, PAZ, and JUSTICIA. The circular legend REPUBLICA DE GUINEA ECUATORIAL arcs along the upper periphery, while the denomination 1000 FRANCOS CFA is inscribed along the lower periphery in bold relief. |
|---|---|
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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.