500 Francs CFA Gorch Fock

The Gorch Fock II is the West German tall ship launched in 1958 and still active as a sail training vessel for the Deutsche Marine — a ship that has generated persistent controversy, including a 2020 Bundeswehr investigation into onboard conditions that ultimately cost the vessel's commander her post. Togo's licensing of her image for a collector silver reflects the broader Francophone African commemorative coin trade of the 2000s, in which small nations issued themed bullion largely for the European collector market rather than domestic circulation.