500 Francs CFA Pope John XXIII

Benin's use of the BCEAO-administered CFA franc for commemorative silver issues has long been a revenue mechanism rather than a monetary one — these pieces are struck for the collector market and never circulate. Pope John XXIII, who died in 1963, has been a recurring subject in Vatican-themed numismatic programs globally since his beatification in 2000 and canonization in 2014, the same year this piece was issued. The timing is not coincidental.