Issued to commemorate the opening of the Hotel Intercontinental in Kinshasa, this platinum piece was part of a broader series of prestige coins struck under Mobutu Sese Seko's newly renamed republic — Zaïre having replaced the Democratic Republic of the Congo just one year prior in 1971. The coins were never intended for circulation; they were diplomatic objects, distributed to foreign dignitaries and investors Mobutu was actively courting as he nationalized foreign-owned industries under his authenticité campaign.
The .999 platinum specification is unusual for African commemoratives of this period, and the mintage was extremely limited.
Issued to commemorate the opening of the Hotel Intercontinental in Kinshasa, this platinum piece was part of a broader series of prestige coins struck under Mobutu Sese Seko's newly renamed republic — Zaïre having replaced the Democratic Republic of the Congo just one year prior in 1971. The coins were never intended for circulation; they were diplomatic objects, distributed to foreign dignitaries and investors Mobutu was actively courting as he nationalized foreign-owned industries under his authenticité campaign.
The .999 platinum specification is unusual for African commemoratives of this period, and the mintage was extremely limited.