1000 Francs CFA Hansa - Brandenburg D. I.

This piece belongs to a wave of commemorative silver issues licensed through BCEAO in the 1990s — a program that had virtually nothing to do with West African monetary policy and everything to do with the international collector market. The Hansa cog featured here references the medieval Hanseatic League's Baltic trading vessels, a subject with no geographic or historical connection to the issuing authority whatsoever.

BCEAO lent its name and legal tender status to dozens of such issues during this period, a practice common among smaller monetary unions seeking modest licensing revenue.