10 Francs Independence, Trial Strike

Gabon achieved independence from France on August 17, 1960, and this trial strike dates to that transitional moment when the new republic was establishing its monetary identity within the CFA franc zone. Trial pieces from newly independent Francophone African states were typically produced at the Paris Mint, which retained striking contracts with most former colonies well into the postcolonial period.

Production of circulating coinage for Gabon was ultimately handled through the Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale rather than a national institution — a arrangement that persists to this day.