And it is still there. It was closed for renovation roughly between mid-2004 and early 2006. The Belgian mint even issued a €2 commem for the re-opening. As for holed coins, another reason for making them was to save material. If you have a central hole, you need less metal. But of course that limits your design options. @Siberian Man: The 5 fr coin with the abstract portrait of Baudouin/Boudewijn I find quite attractive. Much better than the sober 20 fr piece that you also showed here ... Christian
Beautiful coins everyone. I have a good friend who is from Flanders. They speak Dutch there of course. This is my favorite Belgian coin in my collection. I have very few. It's in French, and sadly the only reverse photos I have are discolored. I like the caduceus on the reverse, and the obverse is quite beautiful on this type, mine is not the best example...
This type is known as "Belgium wounded". It was issued after WW I and the kneeling person represents the nation wounded by WW I. As, in this issue, it was the first time for higher denominations (50 centimes and higher) to be struck in another metal than silver (i.c. nickel) the words "Bon Pour" or "Goed Voor" (= Good for) were added, to show the population these coins were equal in value as their silver predecessors.
Here are a couple of golden members of the degeneragte Saxe/Colberg strain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4s0nzsU1Wg&feature=BF&list=PL27155715792E8314&index=5
I got it today. And got it very cheap! This is the first mint of the Belgian 10-centimes coin. Copper, 1832, VF. Krause "says" that this coin is value about 150$, but I got it for 88$ only!
Some kind of superiority complex at work? Anyway, the Belgian euro and cent coins are fairly dull. All eight denominations show King Albert, but every few years some detail gets changed so that type collectors are "forced" or tempted to get new ones. Their commems are somewhat more interesting. This one for example has a domain name as its main feature ... (Image: worldcoingallery.com) Christian
LOL Christian, I never miss a chance to tweek the "bluebloods." :yes: Speaking of incestious hillbillies. :devil: WHOOPS wrong reverse
Nice coins. Well, I am not a monarchist, nor would I want my country to be a kingdom or anything like that. But we should be fair - in Europe it is, even in the monarchies, not the king or prince etc. who makes the political decisions but the elected government. (Belgium is a little difficult these days as it has an elected federal parliament but, for about a year now, no government that is backed by a majority in parliament ...) In a previous post http://www.cointalk.com/showthread.php?t=122975&p=966969&viewfull=1#post966969 Silberian Man showed us the (20 and) 50 centimes coin featuring a miner. When in 2006 a collector coin was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bois du Cazier mine disaster in Marcinelle http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...um_10_Euro_Catastrophe_Marcinelle_front_A.JPG a very similar miner's head was depicted in the foreground. Christian
Just out of curiosity.. does anyone have the 1916 10 centimes? i wanted to compare the color of mine to one that was in better shape,
Glad this was bumped, great coins everybody! BUT, no one mentioned beer, the best ales in the world come from this small country. I love Belgium, it's a beer snobs Disneyland :yes: Thanks Siberian Man!
