Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
20 Francs 500 Yen Coin
| Issuer | Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2000 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | A full-bodied lion passant to left stands on a grassy ground line at center, rendered in high relief with a detailed mane against a mirror-polished proof field. The legend REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO curves along the upper periphery in Latin capital letters, while the denomination 20 FRANCS appears in the lower field beneath the animal. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO 20 FRANCS |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
This piece belongs to a wave of novelty issues produced by the DRC in the early 2000s, a period when the country's own monetary system was in near-total collapse following decades of Mobutu-era mismanagement and the devastating First and Second Congo Wars. The government licensed its minting authority to foreign promoters who issued coins denominated in congolese francs but designed entirely for the collector export market — never intended to circulate, never capable of it given the denominated value bore no relation to the local economy.
The 500 Yen designation references the Japanese coin it was struck to replicate in size and weight, a format popular with Pacific Rim collector issues of that decade.