Djibouti 1952 20 francs

formerly in the Mountain Groan Collection

The Republic of Djibouti is the former French Somaliland, acquired in 1839 from provincial sultans, and made into a French colony in 1896. The area received its independence from France in 1977 and remains poor tho without the governmental collapse experienced by Somalia next door. The specimen shown is an aluminum bronze twenty francs, struck in Paris (note the privy mark) in 1952 for French Somaliland.

Recorded mintage: 500,000 plus 1,200 essais.

Specification: 3.7 g, aluminum bronze, 23.5 mm diameter, designed by Lucien Georges Bazor.

Catalog reference: KM 7.

Source:

• Gadoury, Victor, and George Cousinié, Monnaies Coloniales Françaises, 1670-1988, 2me Éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 1988.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.

Link to:

• 1948 2 francs
• 1948 5 francs
• 1949 franc
• 1959 franc
• 1959 2 francs
• 1959 5 francs
• Somalia 1976 50 senti
• Coins and currency dated 1952