1000 Francs CFA San José

The CFA franc zone has long been a mechanism of French monetary oversight in West Africa, with the currency pegged first to the French franc and, since 1999, to the euro at a fixed rate — a arrangement that has drawn persistent criticism from economists and African politicians alike. Mali briefly exited the zone after independence, issuing its own Mali franc from 1962, before rejoining in 1984 under IMF pressure. This 2016 issue is a collector piece with no connection to that circulation history.

San José series coins were struck by the Monnaie de Paris under contract, a common arrangement for Francophone African numismatic issues.