1000 Francs CFA Astronaut Dog

The Bank of Central African States — the BEAC — issues currency for six member nations including Cameroon, Chad, and the Central African Republic, but has no institutional connection to space programs or canine cosmonaut history. This coin belongs to a category of numismatic product increasingly common among African monetary authorities: bullion-adjacent commemoratives struck under license for the collector market, with no meaningful circulation intent. The BEAC's name lends nominal legitimacy while the actual sales infrastructure runs entirely through European and Asian distributors.

Laika, the Soviet dog launched aboard Sputnik 2 in November 1957, died within hours of launch from overheating — a fact the Soviets concealed for decades.