100 French West African franc note |
100 French West African Francs banknote |
French West Africa banknotes, French West Africa paper money, French West Africa bank notes.
Obverse: Big Baobab Tree - Africa is symbolized by these magnificent trees.
Reverse: Straw huts and palm trees.
Printed by the E.A. Wright Bank Note Company in Philadelphia.
French West Africa (French: Afrique occidentale française, AOF) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin) and Niger. The federation existed from 1895 until 1960.
The French West African Franc was the currency of French West Africa. The French franc circulated, together with distinct banknotes from 1903 and coins from 1944. It was replaced by the CFA franc in 1945.
The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale (Bank of West Africa) began issuing notes in 1903. 100 franc notes were introduced that year, followed by 5 francs in 1904, 500 francs in 1912, 25 francs in 1917, 1000 francs in 1919 and 50 francs in 1920. 10 franc notes were introduced in 1943. In 1944, the government issued notes for 50 centimes, and 1 and 2 francs. The notes of the Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale continued to circulate after the introduction of the CFA franc.