50 Francs 5th Anniversary of independence

The Democratic Republic of the Congo achieved independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960 — violently, and almost immediately plunged into crisis. Within weeks, the Force Publique mutinied, Katanga seceded, and the UN deployed troops. That Léopoldville managed to commission a commemorative gold issue by the fifth anniversary speaks more to the ambitions of the Mobutu-aligned government than to any stability on the ground; the coup that brought Mobutu to full power came just months after this coin was struck.

These anniversary gold issues were produced in limited quantities for presentation and export, not circulation.