The BCEAO was established in 1959 as the successor monetary authority to the Institut d'Émission de l'Afrique Occidentale Française et du Togo, which had managed currency across French West Africa since 1955. The transition was structural, not political — the CFA franc itself continued uninterrupted, and the Imprimerie de la Banque de France retained the printing contract without interruption across the handover.
Pick 4 covers a remarkably long run for a single type, with date ranges suggesting the design remained in production or at least in circulation clearance well into the early 1980s. Serial letter prefixes are the primary tool for narrowing date of issue within this series.
The BCEAO was established in 1959 as the successor monetary authority to the Institut d'Émission de l'Afrique Occidentale Française et du Togo, which had managed currency across French West Africa since 1955. The transition was structural, not political — the CFA franc itself continued uninterrupted, and the Imprimerie de la Banque de France retained the printing contract without interruption across the handover.
Pick 4 covers a remarkably long run for a single type, with date ranges suggesting the design remained in production or at least in circulation clearance well into the early 1980s. Serial letter prefixes are the primary tool for narrowing date of issue within this series.