2 1/2 Euros 20th anniversary of the Euro

Belgium's 2½ euro denomination exists largely because standard euro coinage stops at 2 euros, leaving commemorative issues with nowhere to go without moving into full silver or bimetallic territory. The brass 2½ euro is a workaround — legal tender but never intended for circulation, essentially a collectible issued at face value.

The euro itself launched in Belgium on January 1, 2002, replacing the franc at a fixed rate of 40.3399 BEF per euro — a conversion rate still cited in Belgian retail disputes two decades later.