50 Francs

Djibouti's independence from France in June 1977 required the rapid establishment of a national monetary authority, and the Banque Nationale de Djibouti replaced the Banque de Djibouti — itself a successor to the colonial-era Caisse Centrale — almost immediately. This 50 Francs piece was among the first issues struck under the new sovereign name, though the franc denomination itself was retained rather than replaced, a pragmatic choice for a small port economy deeply tied to French monetary systems and the traffic through one of the world's most strategically positioned harbors.