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5 Francs - Léopold II Pattern strike
| Issuer | Congo Free State (1885-1908) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1887 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central shield of the Congo Free State arms, featuring a rampant lion in the lower canton and a five-pointed star in the upper canton, supported on either side by a passant lion rampant, all surmounted by a royal crown in high relief. A scroll ribbon below the shield bears the motto TRAVAIL ET PROGRES. The denomination 5 FRANCS is inscribed in a curved legend across the upper field, and the date 1887 appears in the exergue below the supporters. The design is enclosed within a beaded border consistent with the obverse. |
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| Additional information |
The Congo Free State was Léopold II's personal property — not a Belgian colonial possession, but a private holding extracted through a regime of forced labor and systematic brutality that the king ran from Brussels without ever visiting. This 1887 pattern precedes the first official coinage of the state by several years, placing it among the earliest numismatic artifacts of one of the nineteenth century's most documented humanitarian disasters.
Pattern strikes in copper for this series were almost certainly produced to test dies before committing to a precious metal issue. Very few are known to survive.