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2 1/2 Francs - Léopold I large head
| Issuer | Royal Belgian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848-1865 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 12.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed effigy of King Leopold I facing left, rendered in high relief with finely detailed hair swept back from the temples. The truncation of the bust is unadorned. The engraver's signature L. WIENER appears in small lettering below the bust near the bottom of the field. The circular legend surrounding the effigy reads LEOPOLD PREMIER ROI DES BELGES, separated by the portrait. The coin's broad, flat rim is defined by a fine dentilated border. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | 1848 - Morin 48 - 27,970 1849 - Morin 49 - 801,139 1850 - Morin 50 - 159,152 1865 - Trial strike - |
| Additional information |
Belgium's 2½-franc denomination was an awkward unit almost from the start — a concession to the Latin Monetary Union's framework before Belgium formally joined in 1865, designed to slot between the 2-franc and 5-franc pieces in a system that commerce never fully embraced. The "large head" distinction separates this from the earlier portrait variant; the obverse die was re-engraved during the series run, making date-by-date attribution essential for a complete type collection.
Leopold I died in December 1865, and production of this type ceased the same year. Final-year pieces saw limited circulation before the denomination itself was quietly retired under the LMU standardization push.