Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
50 Francs - Mwambutsa IV Independence
| Issuer | Burundi |
|---|---|
| Year | 1962 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1962-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The royal coat of arms of Burundi occupies the central field, featuring a shield bearing a lion's head, supported by crossed spears and a traditional drum, with a scroll below inscribed GANZA SABWA. The denomination 50 FRANCS appears in the lower exergue in large letters, and the date 1962 is positioned to the right. The circular legend ROYAUME * DU * BURUNDI * INDEPENDANCE surrounds the design, and a beaded inner border frames the composition. The mint name ARGOR appears in small letters below the shield. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Burundi gained independence from Belgian administration on July 1, 1962, and the new kingdom under Mwambutsa IV moved quickly to assert a distinct national identity through commemorative coinage. These gold issues were not circulation pieces — they were struck for presentation and export, targeting the international collector market at a moment when newly independent African states were issuing commemoratives at pace.
Mwambutsa IV had actually reigned since 1915, making him one of the longest-serving monarchs in the world at the point of independence. He would be deposed in 1966 after a coup while traveling abroad, never returning to Burundi.