Catalog
5000 Francs CFA Monetary Union, Essai
| Issuer | Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (BCEAO) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1982 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 47.50 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse lettering | RENFORCEMENT DE LA SOLIDARITE ET DE LA COHESION DE L'UNION MONETAIRE BENIN NIGER COTE D'IVOIRE SENEGAL HAUTE VOLTA TOGO 5000 FRANCS 1982 (Translation: Reinforcement of the Solidarity and Cohesion of the Monetary Union Benin Niger Ivory Coast Senegal Upper Volta Togo) |
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| Additional information |
Essai strikes from the BCEAO are pattern-grade pieces produced for official approval and distribution to monetary authorities, never intended for circulation. The West African CFA franc zone — a currency arrangement rooted in the 1945 French colonial monetary framework and still operative today — has issued very few gold pieces of any kind, making approved essais from this period genuinely scarce in the numismatic record.
KM#E14 is among the heavier gold essais documented for this issuer, at a specification inconsistent with any circulating coinage, which suggests it was conceived strictly as a prestige or presentation piece for the 1982 review cycle.