The Bank of Central African States — the BEAC — issues coins nominally denominated in CFA francs but struck exclusively for the collector market; none circulate in the six member states. This 2001 giraffe issue belongs to a wave of African wildlife colorized silver pieces produced largely by European mints under contract during the early 2000s, when the format briefly dominated the novelty bullion market before saturation collapsed secondary values across the entire category.
The Bank of Central African States — the BEAC — issues coins nominally denominated in CFA francs but struck exclusively for the collector market; none circulate in the six member states. This 2001 giraffe issue belongs to a wave of African wildlife colorized silver pieces produced largely by European mints under contract during the early 2000s, when the format briefly dominated the novelty bullion market before saturation collapsed secondary values across the entire category.