500 Francs CFA Lion

Burkina Faso's commemorative coinage is issued under the authority of the Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, the regional central bank governing the West African CFA franc zone — meaning the country itself has no independent monetary authority over these pieces. The lion subject has no particular national resonance for Burkina Faso, which has no wild lion population to speak of, suggesting this was produced primarily for the collector export market rather than any domestic commemorative purpose.