500 Francs

The Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale — BEAC — is one of the few central banks in the world whose currency circulates simultaneously across six sovereign states: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. The 500-franc denomination sat at the low end of practical daily use, and notes at this level absorbed the most punishment in circulation. The longevity of the Mamalepot signature across this series — running from 1993 through at least 1999 — reflects unusual continuity at the senior level of an institution that spans genuinely unstable political territory.