1000 Francs CFA Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin

The Republic of the Congo — not to be confused with the neighboring Democratic Republic — has issued a long run of commemorative silver pieces bearing no relation to its own history, effectively licensing its minting authority to European coin marketing firms. This Zeppelin issue is one of dozens produced for that market around the turn of the millennium.

Zeppelin's rigid airship program, which he pursued largely at his own expense after a 1900 crash nearly ended it, was salvaged by a public lottery fundraiser that became a nationalist sensation in Germany. He died in 1917, before his ships were turned to bombing runs over Britain became a liability rather than a point of pride.