Catalog
5 Francs The Netherlands - Princess Maxima
| Issuer | Banque Centrale du Congo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A multicolor portrait of Princess Maxima of the Netherlands is centrally positioned within the inner circle, rendered in vibrant polychrome enamel applied over the coin's surface. The princess is depicted in a formal, elegant pose befitting her royal status. The surrounding legend in the outer field identifies the subject and the series, reading MAISONS ROYALES D'EUROPE DES SIECLES DERNIERS, with the specific identification LA PRINCESSE MAXIMA and MAISON ROYALE DES PAYS-BAS completing the inscription. |
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| Additional information |
The Democratic Republic of Congo issued a wave of foreign-celebrity commemoratives in the late 1990s under highly permissive licensing arrangements — coins with no meaningful connection to the issuing country, struck cheaply and sold directly to collectors rather than circulated. This piece, featuring Argentine-born Máxima Zorreguieta, predates her 2002 marriage to Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander by three years, making the "5 Francs / The Netherlands" framing a speculative commercial bet on a then-unconfirmed royal future.