Congo 2002 Benz Patent-Motorwagen 10 Francs .999 Fine Silver Coin (No Tax) Issues

Congo 2002 Automobiles Historiques Benz Patent-Motorwagen 10 Francs .999 Fine Silver Coin (No Tax) Issues. Includes original COA.

Throughout 2002 and 2003, the Republic of the Congo issued these 99.9% fine silver collector's coins celebrating the history of the automobile. Twenty-four coins were produced, featuring some of history's most famous cars. This one features the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the world's first true automobile.

Patented in 1886, the Patent-Motorwagen combined a tubular steel frame on three bicycle wheels with a single-cylinder, four-stroke gas powered engine. It was a rickety, cumbersome, and dangerous contraption that took ages to start and shook violently when it ran. An average eight-year-old could outrun it, and it certainly had nothing on a horse and carriage. But it was a starting point, and by 1894 it had been replaced by the Benz Velocipede, which boasted, among other luxury improvements, four entire wheels. The rest is history.

Please note, this coin exhibits some minor issues. Its capsule is somewhat scuffed and smudged, and the case feels a bit weak in the hinge.