5 Francs Type 1 legend

Rwanda's post-genocide monetary reconstruction involved overhauling much of the country's coinage infrastructure during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The brass-plated steel construction of this issue reflects cost-driven decisions common to central African monetary authorities managing tight foreign exchange reserves and mint contracts typically placed with European producers.

The "Type 1 legend" designation distinguishes it from a subsequent variety with modified inscription layout — a distinction that matters more to variety collectors than to the circulation history, where both types spent their working lives together unremarked.