Chad 10000 Francs Gold Coin 1960 President Charles de Gaulle
Commemorative issue: 10th Anniversary of Independence
Obverse: Head of President De Gaulle facing right, date below.
Lettering: GENERAL DE GAULLE G.SIMON 1960.
Engraver: G. Simon.
Reverse: Coat of arms of Chad above Cross of Lorraine and broken chains, denomination below.
Lettering: REPUBLIQUE DU TCHAD UNITE TRAVAIL PROGRES 10000 FRANCS.
Edge: Reeded.
Value: 10000 Francs (10000 FCFA).
Composition: Gold.
Fineness: 0.9000.
Weight: 36.0000 g.
AGW: 1.0416 oz.
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle, in full Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (born November 22, 1890, Lille, France — died November 9, 1970, Colombey-les-deux-Églises), French soldier, writer, statesman, and architect of France’s Fifth Republic.
Coat of arms of Chad
The coat of arms of Chad was adopted in 1970. The center has a shield with wavy blue and yellow lines, with a sun rising over it. The shield is supported by a goat and a lion. Below the shield is a medal and a scroll with the national motto in French, Unité, Travail, Progrès ("Unity, Work, Progress" in English).
Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine (French: Croix de Lorraine) was originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizontal bars are "graded" with the upper bar being the shorter, though variations with the bars of equal length are also seen. The Lorraine name has come to signify several cross variations, including the patriarchal cross with its bars near the top.
In France, the Cross of Lorraine was the symbol of Free France during World War II, the liberation of France from Nazi Germany, and Gaullism and includes several variations of a two barred cross.
The Cross of Lorraine is part of the heraldic arms of Lorraine in eastern France. Between 1871 and 1918 (and again between 1940 and 1944), the northern third of Lorraine was annexed to Germany, along with Alsace. During that period the Cross served as a rallying point for French ambitions to recover its lost provinces. This historical significance lent it considerable weight as a symbol of French patriotism. During the War, Capitaine de corvette Thierry d'Argenlieu suggested the Cross of Lorraine as the symbol of the Free French Forces led by Charles de Gaulle as an answer to the Nazi swastika.
The Cross was displayed on the flags of Free French warships, and the fuselages of Free French aircraft. The medal of the Order of Liberation bears the Cross of Lorraine.
De Gaulle himself is memorialised by a 43-metre (141 ft) high Cross of Lorraine in his home village of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. The Cross of Lorraine was later adopted by Gaullist political groups such as the Rally for the Republic.