Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Guilder Pincher, post: 26359158, member: 87595&quot;]I splurged on this beauty last week after having been on my bucket list for about 35 years. I think I got a pretty good deal on it, but it&#039;s still the third most expensive coin in my collection. No regrets though!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1682329[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1682330[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Louis Napoléon, Kingdom of Holland, 50 stuivers 1808. 37 millimeters, 26.41 grams, .912 silver.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is the only silver coin of Louis Napoleon that actually circulated, despite many pattern coins of multiple denominations being made. Aside from 300 test strikes dated 1807, this is a one-year type. However, some 700,000 of the 2.5 million made were actually minted in 1810, using 1808 dies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The history of the Kingdom of Holland is pretty interesting. Created in 1806 as a puppet kingdom by Napoleon to strengthen his control over the Netherlands, he put his younger brother Louis on the throne to serve his interests. However, Louis often put the interests of his new subjects above those of the French empire and frequently clashed with his brother over issues such as conscription and the enforcement of the continental system.</p><p>His reign saw the transformation of the Netherlands from a federal republic to a centralized state. Among other things, he strongly promoted the emancipation of religious minorities and created the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. When disasters struck the nation, such as the Leiden gunpowder explosion of 1807, Louis showed up in person and helped with relief efforts, winning the hearts of many of his subjects. He even attempted to learn Dutch.</p><p>In 1810, his reign came to an end as Napoleon, fed up with his shenanigans, recalled Louis to Paris and annexed the Netherlands as a province of France, which it remained until the liberation in 1813. This was not the end of the legacy of Louis however, as his son Charles-Louis Napoléon would become emperor Napoleon III of France in 1852.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in