5 Francs CFA Essai

The Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique Equatoriale et du Cameroun was itself a short-lived institution, operational only between 1961 and 1972 before being reorganized into the BEAC. This essai — a trial strike submitted for official approval rather than public circulation — dates to the bank's inaugural year, making it one of the earliest pieces produced under that authority. Essais from francophone African monetary unions of this period were typically struck in extremely small quantities at the Paris Mint, retained largely by collectors and monetary officials rather than ever reaching commerce.