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1 Franc
| Issuer | French West Africa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The denomination 1 FRANC is displayed prominently in the central field, flanked on each side by a cornucopia overflowing with fruit, flowers, and foliage, symbolizing abundance. The issuing territory is identified by the legend AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANÇAISE arching along the upper periphery, while the date 1944 appears in the lower field. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
French West Africa's wartime coinage was struck outside France entirely — the 1944 issues were produced in Pretoria, South Africa, as metropolitan French mints were either occupied or inaccessible. The Free French administration needed subsidiary coinage for its African territories and turned to the South African Mint under arrangements coordinated through Allied channels. The nickel brass composition itself reflects wartime material constraints, substituting for the aluminum and cupro-nickel alloys that had become strategically restricted.
Pretoria production for French colonial issues in this period is often underdocumented, and the actual striking dates within 1944 remain imprecise in the primary records.