French Polynesia's franc CFP coinage is issued under the Institut d'Émission d'Outre-Mer, the Paris-based authority that has managed currency for French Pacific territories since 1966. The ½ franc — the "demi" — is among the lowest-denomination pieces still formally struck for the territory, though its purchasing power in contemporary Papeete is essentially nil. Aluminium was chosen for the small denominations precisely because the metal cost less than the face value of the coin, a calculation that has kept the alloy in continuous use across the Pacific franc series for decades.
French Polynesia's franc CFP coinage is issued under the Institut d'Émission d'Outre-Mer, the Paris-based authority that has managed currency for French Pacific territories since 1966. The ½ franc — the "demi" — is among the lowest-denomination pieces still formally struck for the territory, though its purchasing power in contemporary Papeete is essentially nil. Aluminium was chosen for the small denominations precisely because the metal cost less than the face value of the coin, a calculation that has kept the alloy in continuous use across the Pacific franc series for decades.