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!
3000 Francs Hephaestus
| Issuer | Republic of Cameroon |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | CFA franc (Bank of Central African States, 1973-date) |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a dramatic high-relief depiction of Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and the forge, dominating the field as a powerfully muscular, bearded figure raising a hammer aloft in his right hand. His hair cascades freely and selectively gilded flames or molten metal flow from his head, rendered in vivid gilt finish contrasting against the antique silver surfaces. In the left background, a smaller figure of an armored warrior — likely referencing one of Hephaestus's legendary divine craftworks — stands amid a labyrinthine meander border, while a classical temple and rocky landscape appear in the lower right background. The inscription "HEPHAESTUS" arcs along the right rim within the Greek key-fret border that frames the entire composition. The overall finish is antique, lending the design a sculptural, ancient quality. |
| 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 | 2023 - Antique finish - 333 |
| Additional information |
Cameroon has used its coinage program less as a monetary instrument than as a licensing vehicle for decades — the country's collector issues are produced entirely by European mints under contract, with the CFA franc zone's actual monetary policy governed by the Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale. This piece, nominally denominated in Communauté Financière Africaine francs, will never circulate in Yaoundé. The 3000-franc face value is a legal fiction: it equates to roughly five US dollars against actual purchasing power, while the coin retails at a substantial multiple of that.
Hephaestus as a subject fits the now-familiar pattern of African-issuer Greek mythology coins produced for the European and Asian collector market, a format that peaked in volume through the late 2010s and has continued without significant contraction.