Burkina Faso has no historical or cultural connection to Smilodon — the saber-toothed cat was native to the Americas and had been extinct for roughly 10,000 years before any human settlement of West Africa. This is a pure collector issue, produced under license through a European bullion and novelty coin distributor, using Burkina Faso's issuing authority as a convenient vehicle. The country has been a prolific source of such thematic silver pieces since the early 2000s, its name lending nominal sovereign legitimacy to products aimed squarely at the novelty numismatic market.
Burkina Faso has no historical or cultural connection to Smilodon — the saber-toothed cat was native to the Americas and had been extinct for roughly 10,000 years before any human settlement of West Africa. This is a pure collector issue, produced under license through a European bullion and novelty coin distributor, using Burkina Faso's issuing authority as a convenient vehicle. The country has been a prolific source of such thematic silver pieces since the early 2000s, its name lending nominal sovereign legitimacy to products aimed squarely at the novelty numismatic market.