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1 Franc
| Issuer | French Equatorial Africa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The central design features the Cross of Lorraine, the emblem of the Free French Forces, dividing the denomination numeral '1' and the abbreviation 'Fc' (Franc). The mint mark 'SA' for the Pretoria Mint appears above the cross, flanked by the engraver's initials 'C.L.S.' The date '1942' is inscribed below the cross. The motto of the French Republic, 'LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ', arcs along the upper rim, while 'HONNEUR PATRIE', the motto of the Free French government in London, is inscribed along the lower rim. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
French Equatorial Africa's 1942 coinage was struck under the Free French authority of Charles de Gaulle, not the Vichy government — a deliberate political act separating the territory's currency from metropolitan France's collaborationist administration. The colony had rallied to de Gaulle in August 1940, one of the earliest and strategically vital African territories to do so. Brass was the practical choice; wartime metal allocation had eliminated any realistic access to standard coinage alloys.
Production was handled in Pretoria, South Africa, under arrangement with the South African Mint.