Catalog
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| Issuer | Banque du Zaïre |
|---|---|
| Year | 1996 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Nouveaux Zaïres (500 ZRN) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | WILDLIFE OF AFRICA 500 NOUVEAUX ZAÏRES |
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| Additional information |
By 1996, the Banque du Zaïre was issuing coin series it had no realistic expectation of circulating. The country was in its final months under Mobutu Sese Seko, inflation had gutted the zaïre currency through successive redenominations — the "nouveau zaïre" itself introduced in 1993 at a rate of 3,000,000 old zaïres to one — and Laurent-Désiré Kabila's AFDL forces would take Kinshasa within a year. This piece is a collector issue produced for foreign exchange, not domestic use.
The .500 fineness is notably low for a commemorative silver, suggesting cost-cutting at the mint commissioning stage.