Catalog
1000 Francs CFA Iguanodon
| Issuer | Republic of Benin |
|---|---|
| Year | 1995 |
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| Value | 1000 Francs CFA |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A detailed relief depiction of an Iguanodon dinosaur dominates the central field, shown in a semi-upright bipedal stance facing right, with a rocky prehistoric landscape rendered in the background. To the left, a partially hatched dinosaur egg with a juvenile emerging is depicted in lower relief, evoking the prehistoric theme. The curved legend 'ANIMAUX PRÉHISTORIQUES' arcs along the upper periphery in bold raised lettering. The date '1995' appears in the lower left field, and the species name 'Iguanodon' is inscribed in italic lettering along the lower margin. |
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| Edge | Plain. |
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| Additional information |
Benin's 1990s silver program was frankly unusual — a small West African nation with no domestic minting infrastructure issuing collector pieces clearly aimed at the European and Japanese numismatic market. The Iguanodon issue was part of a broader prehistoric animal series licensed through intermediary distributors, a common arrangement for CFA-zone countries during this period where the issuing government received a flat fee while a European trading house handled production and sales.
Iguanodon itself has an odd taxonomic history — the genus was so broadly defined throughout the 19th century that dozens of unrelated species were dumped into it, most of which have since been reclassified.