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1 Franc - Léopold II French text
| Issuer | Royal Belgian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866-1886 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1832-2001) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed, bearded effigy of King Leopold II facing left, rendered in high relief with finely detailed hair and full beard characteristic of Wiener's portrait style. The truncation of the neck is cleanly cut at the lower field. The circular legend reads LEOPOLD II ROI DES BELGES, disposed along the upper and lateral periphery, with the engraver's signature L. WIENER incused along the lower rim below the portrait. The entire design is framed by a continuous inner beaded border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Belgium's 1-franc coinage of this period falls under the Latin Monetary Union framework, which Belgium co-founded in 1865 alongside France, Italy, and Switzerland — a multilateral agreement that standardized silver coin specifications across member states precisely to allow free circulation across borders. The franc struck in Brussels was legally interchangeable with its Parisian or Turin equivalent.
The French-text variant exists because Belgium issued parallel series in both French and Dutch to serve its linguistically divided population, a political accommodation that has defined Belgian coinage practice ever since.