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5 Francs Swallowtail
| Issuer | Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2002 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | A standing lion facing left occupies the central field, depicted in fine relief standing upon a bed of grass and foliage. The curved legend REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO arcs along the upper periphery, while the denomination 5 FRANCS appears in the lower field beneath the lion. The entire design is framed by a continuous beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO 5 FRANCS |
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| Additional information |
The Democratic Republic of the Congo relaunched its coinage identity in 1997 following Laurent-Désiré Kabila's overthrow of Mobutu Sese Seko, who had renamed the country Zaïre and debased its currency into near-worthlessness. By 2002, the DRC's mint program had pivoted almost entirely toward the collector market — these multicolor hologram issues were never intended for circulation and were sold directly to dealers and distributors in Europe.
KM#56 is part of a butterfly series produced for the numismatic trade. The hologram application was contracted separately from the coin striking itself, a two-stage production process common to novelty issues of this period from small-economy issuers.