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500 Francs CFA Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin
| Issuer | Benin (1975-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1997 |
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| Composition | Silver (.999) |
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| Obverse description | The national coat of arms of Benin occupies the central field, featuring a quartered shield supported by two leopards rampant, surmounted by a buffalo head above, and a scroll bearing the national motto FRATERNITE JUSTICE TRAVAIL below the shield. The country name REPUBLIQUE DU BENIN is inscribed in a circular legend around the upper periphery in Latin characters. The denomination 500 FRANCS CFA appears in bold relief at the lower portion of the field beneath the arms. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Benin has no historical connection to Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the German count who developed rigid airship technology in the late nineteenth century. This is a frankly commercial issue — one of dozens of thematic silver pieces Benin licensed through European distributors during the 1990s, targeting collectors in Germany and Switzerland rather than any domestic market. The CFA franc was never intended to facilitate this kind of numismatic export trade; the issuing authority simply lent its name.
Zeppelin flew his first LZ 1 over Lake Constance in July 1900. He died in 1917, well before the Hindenburg disaster that effectively ended commercial rigid airship travel.