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500 Francs CFA British Britannia
| Issuer | Benin (1975-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2024 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs CFA |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse displays the national coat of arms of the Republic of Benin centrally in the field, featuring a quartered shield supported by two leopards rampant, with a buffalo head crest above. The shield quarters depict a fortified tower, a cross, a palm tree, and a sailing vessel. A ribbon beneath the shield bears the national motto in three segments. The circular legend reads REPUBLIQUE DU BENIN above and the denomination 500 FRANCS CFA below the arms. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Francs CFA zone, administered through the BCEAO for West African member states, has long been a vehicle for commemorative silver programs with no meaningful connection to the issuing country. Benin's participation is purely nominal — the coins are contracted through European minting houses and marketed directly to collectors abroad. This piece never circulates in Cotonou.
The Britannia series itself dates to 1987 as a British bullion program. Benin's appropriation of that iconography for a CFA-denominated silver issue is an artifact of the modern commemorative licensing trade.