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1000 Francs Memento mori
| Issuer | Bank of Central African States (BEAC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Coloured, Milled |
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| Reverse description | A richly detailed vanitas still-life composition fills the reverse field, evoking the Memento mori tradition with a central human skull rendered in high relief and polychrome colour. Surrounding the skull are symbolic objects associated with the transience of life and learning: antique leather-bound books stacked in the field, an open pocket watch marking the passage of time, an extinguished oil lamp casting no light, a writing quill recalling intellectual endeavour, and an overturned glass suggestive of life spent. The composition is rendered with meticulous engraving detail against a darkened background, creating a dramatic chiaroscuro effect consistent with the black proof finish. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The BEAC issues commemorative coinage on behalf of its six member states — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo — none of which operate individual minting facilities. Production is contracted to European private mints, placing the physical manufacture of "Central African" coinage firmly in facilities in Poland or elsewhere on the continent. The memento mori theme has a long numismatic history, appearing on European medals and coins from the 15th century onward, rooted in the medieval preoccupation with mortality as moral instruction.
One troy ounce of .999 silver at 2025 spot places the melt value well below typical issue price for this kind of themed collector piece.