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1000 Francs CFA Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
| Issuer | Benin (1975-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the coat of arms of Benin, featuring a quartered shield supported by two leopards rampant, the shield surmounted by a star and flanked by a palm tree and a sailing vessel in the lower quarters, with a scroll below bearing the national motto FRATERNITE JUSTICE TRAVAIL. The legend REPUBLIQUE DU BENIN arcs along the upper periphery in Latin characters, while the denomination 1000 FRANCS CFA is inscribed in large relief across the lower field. |
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE DU BENIN 1000 FRANCS CFA |
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| Additional information |
Benin's commemorative program in the early 2000s produced a string of issues honoring European intellectuals that had no connection whatsoever to the country — Lessing among them. The coin exists because the Central African CFA commemorative market of that period was dominated by European private minting houses, primarily Bavarian and Austrian firms, that licensed designs to small issuing states with minimal local involvement. Benin served as the nominal authority; the commercial logic was entirely external.
Lessing himself died in 1781, largely estranged from the Hamburg church establishment that had spent years fighting his published theological arguments.