Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
500 Francs Independence, essai
| Issuer | Niger |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960 |
| 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 | 9.75 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Facing bust of President Diori Hamani, slightly turned to the left, wearing glasses and a suit with tie, rendered in high relief against a plain field with draped background lines suggesting a formal portrait style. The legend PRESIDENT DIORI HAMANI arches across the upper border, while REPUBLIQUE DU NIGER curves along the lower border, with two raised dot stops flanking the upper legend. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Niger's independence from France was declared on August 3, 1960, and this essai was produced as part of the standard French practice of striking trial pieces for newly sovereign Francophone African states — most of which were handled administratively through Paris well into the following decade. Essais of this series were struck in limited numbers for official approval and collector distribution, never entering circulation.
The 500-franc denomination was ambitious for a nation whose monetary infrastructure remained tied to the CFA franc zone from day one of independence.