10 Francs Independence

Senegal's 1968 gold issue commemorated the eighth anniversary of independence from France, struck the same year the country weathered serious political pressure following the May 1968 unrest that destabilized de Gaulle's government across the Atlantic — Dakar's own student and labor strikes that spring nearly brought down Léopold Sédar Senghor's administration. The coins were produced in limited quantities, primarily for presentation and international sale rather than domestic circulation, as gold coinage had no practical role in Senegal's franc-zone monetary arrangements.