Catalog
500 Francs Pattern
| Issuer | Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (BEAC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Large denomination numeral '500' above the word 'FRANCS' occupies the upper central field, with a richly detailed spray of tropical flora — including cocoa pods, coffee branches, and broad leaves — filling the lower and central fields in high relief. The bilingual legend 'REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN' to the left and 'REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON' to the right arc along the upper periphery within the dodecagonal inner frame. The date '1985' appears in the lower exergue, flanked by small decorative stars. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The BEAC's 1985 pattern series was produced as part of an internal evaluation of higher-denomination coinage for the six-member franc zone — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. The 500-franc denomination was never adopted for circulation, likely because the CFA franc's purchasing power made a coin of that value impractical against existing banknote infrastructure.
Pattern issues from BEAC are notoriously difficult to trace in institutional records, and surviving examples appear to have entered collector hands through official presentation sets rather than public sale.