1000 Francs CFA 2000 Summer Olympic Games

The Republic of the Congo — not to be confused with the neighboring Democratic Republic — was in the middle of a brutal civil war when this piece was struck. The 1997 conflict between President Lissouba and former president Sassou Nguesso left Brazzaville largely destroyed. Coins like this were produced entirely for the collector export market; no meaningful domestic circulation was ever intended or possible.

The Sydney Games tie-in was a reliable commercial formula for small African issuers in the late 1990s, with dozens of nations licensing Olympic themes through European minting houses to generate hard currency revenue.