Catalog
2 1/2 Zaïres Conservation
| Issuer | Banque du Zaïre |
|---|---|
| Year | 1975 |
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| Diameter | 38.6 mm |
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| Obverse description | Facing three-quarter right bust of President Mobutu Sese Seko, wearing a suit and characteristic thick-framed eyeglasses. The portrait is rendered in high relief with fine detail, occupying the central field. The circular legend BANQUE DU ZAÏRE arcs along the upper periphery of the coin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Issued as part of a global wave of conservation-themed coinage promoted by the WWF and IUCN in the mid-1970s, this piece was never intended for circulation — it was a hard currency earner for a government badly in need of foreign exchange. Mobutu Sese Seko's Zaïre was simultaneously projecting international legitimacy through wildlife imagery while presiding over the systematic looting of the country's natural resources.
The Zaïre itself as a currency unit had only been introduced in 1967, replacing the franc at a rate of one Zaïre to one thousand francs.