100 Francs

The BCEAO was established in 1959 as the successor institution to the Institut d'Émission de l'Afrique Occidentale Française et du Togo, giving the newly independent Francophone West African states a shared central bank while keeping them tied to the CFA franc — and, effectively, to French monetary policy. This 100 Francs series reflects the political transitional moment precisely: multiple signature combinations across just four years track the rapid turnover of national representatives on the bank's board as each member state adjusted its appointments post-independence.

The "H" suffix in the Pick reference designates the Mauritanian issue. Mauritania withdrew from the BCEAO arrangement in 1973 when it left the West African Monetary Union to establish its own currency, the Ouguiya.