1 Franc Guinéen

Guinea's 1985 franc coinage arrived during a significant political transition — Sékou Touré, who had ruled since independence in 1958, died in March 1984, and a military coup led by Lansana Conté followed within a week. The new regime inherited an economy wrecked by decades of command-style mismanagement and moved quickly to dismantle Touré's monetary policies, including the reintroduction of the franc in place of the syli.

Brass-plated steel was a deliberate cost-cutting choice for the lower denominations, reflecting how little purchasing power a single franc actually carried at issue.