500 Francs CFA Portrait of Fräulein Lieser

The "Portrait of Fräulein Lieser" refers to a recently rediscovered Klimt painting that sold at Vienna's Im Kinsky auction house in April 2024 for approximately €30 million — roughly four times its pre-sale estimate. The work had been missing from public record for decades, its whereabouts unknown since the Nazi-era displacement of its Jewish owners. Its sudden reemergence made it one of the most discussed Old Masters events of the year, which Cameroon's numismatic program moved quickly to exploit.

Cameroon has no meaningful connection to the painting, the artist, or its provenance story. The coin exists because the CFA franc zone permits member states to license their monetary authority for novelty issues sold exclusively to collectors.