CFA FRANC: COIN OF WEST AFRICAN STATES
100 CFA franc, 1984: Economic Community of West African States
100 FRANCS.
UNION MONÉTAIRE OUEST-AFRICAINE: The West African Monetary Union.
Floral ornament.
Mint mark "cornucopia" (Paris Mint) and privy mark "dolphin" (Émile Rousseau — Chief Engraver at the Paris Mint during 1974-1994) around the date.
BANQUE CENTRALE DES ETATS DE L’AFRIQUE DE L’OUEST: Central Bank of West African States.
Stylized sawfish: emblem of the Central Bank of West African States.
Sign of Raymond Joly under the fish — French sculptor and medalist, engraver of coins.
Paris Mint (Monnaie de Paris, France).
Mintage: 2.500.000.
- Nickel: 26 mm - 7.02 g
- Reference price: 1.5$
COIN CFA FRANC — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- WEST AFRICAN STATES + CENTRAL AFRICAN STATES (1948-...): CFA franc = 100 centime (coins are issued both on behalf of the Central Bank of West African States and the Bank of Central African States, and on behalf of individual states separately — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon...)
CFA FRANC as coin name.
CFA franc is a kind of African analogue of the euro, a type of franc... It is the currency and coin of a number of African states — former colonies of France (as well as Guinea-Bissau as a former colony of Portugal and Equatorial Guinea as a former colony of Spain). Conditionally divided into 100 centimes.
It exists in two varieties: West African CFA franc and Central African CFA franc, which have identical value in relation to other currencies. However, Central African coins are not accepted in West African countries and vice versa.
The first coins denominated in the CFA francs date back to 1948.
A characteristic feature of circulating coins of this denomination is the same design for different issuing states. However, a significant number of commemorative CFA franc coins are minted with a wide variety of designs, often unexpected and strange (they are usually considered non-circulating coins).
The name "CFA franc" was not previously found on coins: the denomination on early types was simply indicated in francs. However, the latest types of coins contain the inscription "FCFA".
As for the name of the CFA franc currency, we are dealing with an interesting precedent: in different historical periods and in different territories (West African or Central African states), the abbreviation had different interpretations. In particular: "Colonies Françaises d'Afrique" ("French colonies of Africa"), "Communauté Française d'Afrique" ("French Community of Africa"), "Communauté Financière Africaine" ("African Financial Community") and "Coopération financier en Afrique centrale" ("Financial Cooperation in Central Africa").
