10 000 Francs CFA Nikola Tesla bust

Chad has issued commemorative silver under the franc CFA system for years, but this piece requires a specific clarification: the Central African CFA franc is managed by the BEAC, and Chad is a member state — though the country itself has no independent monetary authority over such issues. These coins are produced under licensing arrangements with private mints for the collector market and have no meaningful circulation history in Chad or anywhere else.

Tesla died in January 1943 in a New York hotel room, nearly penniless, his later patents largely expired or contested. The 62.2g specification places this squarely in the two-troy-ounce format favored by the bullion-adjacent commemorative market.