Catalog
1000 Francs CFA 2000 Summer Olympics
| Issuer | Benin (1975-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1997 |
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| Composition | Silver (.999) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE DU BENIN FRATERNITE JUSTICE TRAVAIL 1000 FRANCS CFA |
| Reverse description | Two male runners in athletic competition attire, wearing numbered race bibs (15 and 28), are depicted in full stride occupying the left and central field, conveying dynamic motion. To the right stands a classical draped female statue on a pedestal, rendered in the style of ancient Greek sculpture and holding a staff or torch, symbolising the Olympic ideal. The legend XXVII OLYMPIADE arcs along the upper left periphery and SYDNEY 2000 along the upper right, while the date 1997 appears in the lower exergue at the base of the statue's pedestal. |
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| Additional information |
Benin's commemorative coinage of the late 1990s was largely produced under licensing arrangements with European minting agencies — this piece almost certainly struck by the Monnaie de Paris or a private contractor, with Cotonou having no domestic mint of its own. The subject, the Sydney 2000 Games, prompted a flood of licensed issues from West African franc zone states between 1996 and 1999, most sharing nearly identical specifications across different issuing authorities.
The IOC's aggressive licensing program during this period generated commemoratives from dozens of nations with no athletes competing in Sydney.