I was able to purchase this coin just yesterday at Stack's ANA auction. This is a coin of likely exceeding rarity, but there is just a bit of confusion around it which perhaps I may clear (or try to). This specimen is a "currency" gold 5,000 CFA coin. There is supposedly an essai version of this coin struck in gold with "essai" struck vertically to the right of the Taku figure shown. I have never seen it. There is this coin (last seen was a second specimen in a 2009 Heritage Baltimore Sale). Then there is a silver 1982 5,000 CFA coin with the same design but struck in a larger diameter. The Taku figure is evidently a rendition of a weight for measuring gold. There is a silver essai of the larger silver coin. Then there is a gold essai of the silver coin - also struck in the larger format. The weight difference is about 1.40 ounces of gold (non-piefort) versus the OP coin that is about 0.478 oz. NGC has probably garbled its populations of these types and there is no confirmation as there are no pictures. This coin is graded NGC66, and not listed and then has only coins that are of this type in 68 and 69 (highly doubt this). It then has the essai versions of this smaller coin as SP65, 66 and 68. If interested contact me. I will note I have tried to clear up technical issues on rare coins with them before and ran into a combination of ignorance and arrogance with complete ignoring followup correspondence and an outright unwillingness to cooperate with investigating it. Anyway,...
I really don't know. I was looking into some Colonial Jamaica issues that I thought might be off, and was most pleasant about the whole thing. I went ahead and just dropped it. Not that it matters, but I was a contributor to Krause for over 16 years and never even mentioned that bit.
I am looking up your coin in my 2019 Krause World Coins catalog. KM#12, .900 gold weight- 14.49g or 0.4193 oz. MS66-$2,900 "Taku" a sign of prosperity. A very interesting coin. Is there an estimate of how many were minted ? I enjoy doing the research on coins.
Spirit, I have tried to locate this and found nothing. I have some connections to WA Francophone countries and no help "on the ground". One problem I anticipate is that if a number for mintage does show up, it is likely the authorized mintage and not how many were actually released. The coin does not make sense being struck as a currency - esp. in the gold; the silver is just [a beautiful] NCLT. I will post a picture of the other side, let's call it the reverse shortly.
Never got a chance to post this, and this is the essai of the much larger silver coin and in gold - very rare:
