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500 Francs CFA Gorch Fock
| Issuer | Benin (1975-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1996 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs CFA |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A finely detailed three-masted sailing barque, the German tall ship Gorch Fock, depicted under full sail and occupying the central field, set within a raised rope border. The ship is shown in profile with all sails set, riding calm waters. A laurel wreath frames the lower portion of the inner field, interspersed with small five-pointed stars, and a circular mint emblem bearing a globe motif appears at the base with the year 1996 inscribed within it. The legend GORCH FOCK arcs prominently along the upper portion of the rope border. |
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| Additional information |
The Gorch Fock II is the German Navy's sail training ship, launched in 1958 and still in service — one of the longest-serving tall ships in any naval fleet. Benin's decision to issue a coin commemorating a foreign naval vessel has nothing to do with any bilateral maritime relationship; rather, it reflects the aggressive commemorative coin programs of the 1990s in which small African nations with CFA-denominated issues licensed their minting authority to European trading houses targeting collector markets. The coins were never intended for circulation in Cotonou.