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500 Francs CFA Pope Francis I
| Issuer | Benin (1975-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2014 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a three-quarter facing bust of Pope Francis I in the left foreground, rendered in uncolored raised relief, wearing papal vestments and a pectoral cross. Behind him, occupying the right portion of the field, is a vivid color-printed depiction of a stained-glass window portraying Saint Francis of Assisi in his Franciscan habit, his right hand raised in blessing and a halo encircling his head. The upper arc bears the legend 85 YEARS OF VATICAN CITY STATE with the commemorative date 11.02.2014, while the name FRANZISKUS appears along the lower right periphery, flanked by small decorative stars. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Benin has no particular Catholic history that explains this coin — it belongs instead to a well-documented category of African CFA-zone commemoratives produced almost entirely for the international collector market, with no meaningful circulation in the issuing country. These are struck under licensing arrangements, and Benin is one of several West African states whose name appears on coins conceived, marketed, and sold entirely outside the country.
Francis was elected in March 2013, making this a first-year-of-papacy commemorative by the following minting cycle — a predictable commercial response to a new pontificate.