1/2 Franc - Léopold I Pattern

Pattern coinage from the Belgian Mint in this period was largely produced for official presentation purposes — submitted to the palace, archived by the ministry, or exchanged diplomatically. The gold-plated treatment on a half-franc denomination is unusual; most Belgian patterns of the 1850s in precious metal simulation were applied to larger denominations where the visual effect carried more weight.

KM# Pn20 is sparsely documented in auction records, suggesting mintage was extremely small — likely fewer than a dozen pieces struck.