Senegal uses the West African CFA Franc as its circulation currency, together with seven other states in West Africa which make up the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA; Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine): Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger and Togo. The currency is issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO; Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest), and - unlike for example the Euro - its coins are not marked with an individual country of issue.
Some of the member countries however issue non-circulating collector and commemorative coinage, which Senegal has been doing since 1968. Some of these coins are in the internationally popular half gram (0.5g) of gold mini-coin collector format - such as this one.
This coin is part of the the Extinct Predators Series, and is dedicated to the Spinosaurus. It is a "companion coin" to the silver ounce with a similar design which was issued for Congo.
The Spinosaurus lived in what is now North Africa around 99 to 93.5 million years ago. Spinosaurus is the longest known terrestrial carnivore; other large carnivores comparable to Spinosaurus include theropods such as Tyrannosaurus, Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus reached 14 metres in length and 7.4 metric tons in body mass. The skull of Spinosaurus was long, low, and narrow, similar to that of a modern crocodilian, and bore straight conical teeth with no serrations. It would have had large, robust forelimbs bearing three-fingered hands, with an enlarged claw on the first digit. The distinctive neural spines of Spinosaurus, which were long extensions of the vertebrae (or backbones), grew to at least 1.65 meters long and were likely to have had skin connecting them, forming a sail-like structure. |
| Obverse | |
|---|
The obverse of the coin shows at its centre the Coat of Arms of Senegal. This consists of a shield divided vertically into two parts: in the left half, a standing lion; in the right part, a baobab tree below which a wavy line representing the Senegal River. Above the shield, a five-pointed star.
The shield is surrounded by palm leaves tied with a ribbon, on which the national motto is inscribed: UN PEUPLE, UN BUT, UNE FOI (translated from French: "One People, One Goal, One Faith"). Below the ribbon, the five-sided pendant of the National Order of the Lion.
Around above, the name of the issuing country in French (its official language): RÉPUBLIQUE DU SÉNÉGAL (Republic of Senegal).
Around below, the nominal face value 250 FRANCS CFA (two hundred and fifty West African CFA Francs). |
|
| Reverse | |
|---|
The reverse design features a Spinosaurus walking to left.
In the background, a circle with a mirror-polished surface; around above in that circle, the inscription: PREDATORS - SPINOSAURUS, below which - EXTINCT -. In the mirror circle below, the date of issue 2022.
The rest of the surface has a textured background with impressions of fossils. A dinosaur tooth is part in the polished circle and part on the textured background.
Around below, the precious metal content: 1/2 G. 9999 FINEST GOLD (one half of a gram of 99.99% gold). |
|
Search for Senegal: Gold Half Gram 2022 Extinct Predators - Spinosaurus on eBay 
