250 Francs CFA Secretary Bird

The BCEAO issues these fractional gold pieces primarily for the collector market — the franc CFA itself is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of 655.957, a parity established in 1999 when the French franc converted, and the zone's member states have never had independent monetary policy to speak of. A half-gram coin denominated in CFA francs will never see a West African market stall.