1000 Francs CFA Sunflowers

Gabon's franc CFA issues of this period were produced under the BEAC (Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale), but collector pieces like this one were contracted out to private mints in Europe — the BEAC having no minting infrastructure of its own. The sunflower series sits in a crowded market of themed silver-plated issues produced for the Pacific, African, and Caribbean issuing authorities throughout the 2010s, most destined for European collector cabinets rather than African pockets.

Silver-plated copper at this weight puts it firmly in the novelty category, not the bullion one.