To enjoy the fragrance of marijuana up to 40 times, all you need to do is get your hands on one of the coins issued by the African republic of Benin in 2010 to commemorate the therapeutic uses of Cannabis Sativa, the plant from which the "laughing leaf" is obtained. Without a doubt, this is one of the most unusual and bizarre coins in numismatic history. 2,500 units were issued as part of a series on famous plants from around the world, which also included coins that smelled like roses or lilies.
Just 15 euro cents
This particular coin had a value of 100 Central African francs (CFA), equivalent to about 15 euro cents. It was made from a 27-gram wafer of a nickel and copper alloy coated with a layer of silver. In addition to the smell of marijuana, the coin features a spectacular full-color image of a Cannabis Sativa leaf and, as we mentioned at the beginning, can be scratched up to 40 times to release an even more intense smell than usual before it completely loses its fragrance.
Obviously, these coins were not legal tender, so they disappeared within a few days of their issue, although it is still possible to get hold of a copy of the coin that Bob Marley himself would have dreamed of.
The pioneering African monetary union
Its issue was so surprising that it put the tiny state of Benin on the map, a small republic that during the French colonization was known as Dahomey, a name it retained after its independence in 1960.
It was not until 1975 that the country adopted the name Republic of Benin, taking as its reference the Bay of Benin, on whose coast this small country is located, with a current population of just eight million inhabitants.
As for its currency, the CFA franc, it should be noted that this is the currency of the monetary union of West African states, which also includes the former French colonies of Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. In this regard, the currencies are issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), the precursor to the European Central Bank (ECB).