Set Description:
I’ve always been drawn to the beauty and artistry of French, French colonial and post-colonial notes printed by the Bank of France. The use of color and eye-catching motifs make these some of the most appealing bank notes ever printed. The notes of the Central African States (CAS) are worthy representatives of what the Bank of France can do.
The sheer beauty of the notes, particularly the first series, is the primary reason I started a CAS note collection. The second reason was CAS was a relatively neglected collecting area in the bank note world. For some reason there weren’t many collectors attempting to form a complete CAS type note collection. It was certainly achievable, as none of the notes are great rarities, so I decided to try. The third reason is I was intrigued by the varieties within the series. Each note, in the first two series, has a letter printed in two places on the face of the note. The letter, which acts as a country code, is specific to the individual CAS country in which the note was released.
I was able to find all of the notes without too much difficulty, except for one. The P308M eluded me. After a 1 ½ year search, I finally found an example and was able to complete the type set.
The CAS is made up of of six independent nations in central Africa—Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of the Congo. Five of the six are former French colonies. Equatorial Guinea is a former Spanish colony. They are also the member states of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa. The six CAS countries are bound together in a monetary union that uses the Central African CFA franc as a common currency. ($1 = 607 CFA francs.) The currency is issued by the Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (Bank of Central African States); and printed by the Bank of France in Chamalières, France.
First series notes, produced from 1993-2002, were printed in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 CFA francs. Each note features a portrait of a CAS citizen and the industry they are employed in on the face. The back portrays wildlife or people at work. First series country codes are found in the upper-right and lower-left quadrants. C-Republic of the Congo, E-Cameroon, F-Central African Republic, L-Gabon, N-Equatorial Guinea, P-Chad.
Second series notes, produced entirely in 2002, were also printed in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 CFA francs. These have more sophisticated anti-counterfeiting devices. They also feature a portrait of a CAS citizen and the occupation they are employed in on the face and scenes of agriculture and industry on the back. Second series country codes are found in the upper-left and upper-right quadrants. A-Gabon, C-Chad, F-Equatorial Guinea, M-Central African Republic, T-Republic of the Congo, U-Cameroon.
The final series, produced in the same denominations as the first two, was printed in 2020 and released into circulation in 2022. It did away with the country-specific letter system. All of the denominations use pastel colors and feature a portrait of the Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale headquarters building on the face and wildlife or people in work settings on the back.
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