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!
1 Zaïre 5 Years of J.D. Mobutu's Presidency, Gold Proof Issue
| Issuer | Banque Nationale du Congo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1970 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 35 mm |
| 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 | A facing bust portrait of President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, depicted wearing spectacles, a shirt and tie, and a heavily ornamented military dress uniform with elaborately decorated epaulettes, occupies the central field. The legend PRÉSIDENT JOSEPH-DÉSIRÉ MOBUTU arcs along the upper periphery in evenly spaced capital letters. The date 1970 is inscribed in the lower exergue. The portrait is rendered in fine relief with strong sculptural detail, and the field is bounded by an inner border of raised beads matching that of the obverse. |
| 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 |
Issued to mark five years of Mobutu Sese Seko's rule, this proof was struck before the sweeping Authenticité campaign that would, within two years, rename the country Zaïre, rename the currency, and require citizens to abandon European names entirely. The coin's attribution to the Banque Nationale du Congo rather than a successor institution dates it precisely to that transitional window — Mobutu was consolidating power but had not yet rewritten the national identity wholesale.
The .900 gold proof series of this type was produced in extremely limited quantities for diplomatic gifting and elite collectors. Few entered open commerce at issue.