100 Francs CFA Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven series, issued under the Central Bank of West African States framework but attributed to individual member nations, was designed primarily for the Chinese collector market during a period of intense demand for small-denomination gold coins with Asian architectural themes. Ivory Coast had no substantive historical or political connection to the Beijing monument — the attribution is essentially a licensing arrangement.

At 0.5 grams, these were among the smallest gold coins in commercial circulation at the time of issue, competing directly with similar fractional pieces from the Cook Islands and Palau programs.