3000 Francs New York, gold

The "New York" denomination belongs to a sprawling series issued by the BEAC — the Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale — nominally legal tender across six member states including Cameroon, Chad, and Gabon, though no one spends them. These large-format gold-plated silver pieces are essentially bullion collectibles dressed in a CFA franc face value so thin it barely registers against the metal content. The series has drawn criticism from collectors for inconsistent plating quality across strikes, with adhesion failures documented on early examples.