Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Centimes - Leopold I 25th anniversary of the inauguration, Dutch
| Issuer | Belgium |
|---|---|
| Year | 1856 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Centimes (0.05 BEF) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Allegorical figure of Belgica seated in the field, her left hand grasping a scepter while her right hand places an olive wreath upon the bust of King Leopold I, symbolizing the crowning of his reign. The composition is rendered in a classical allegorical style befitting mid-19th-century Belgian commemorative coinage. The date inscription appears in the legend, expressed in Roman numerals and Latin abbreviation. The engraving is attributed to Adolphe Jouvenel and exhibits fine sculptural detail characteristic of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays a five-line Dutch commemorative inscription centered within the field, entirely enclosed by a symmetrical laurel wreath tied at the base. The wreath is rendered with fine detail, its branches sweeping outward symmetrically from a central binding at the bottom. The text is set in bold capital Roman lettering across multiple lines, filling the interior of the wreath. A beaded border encircles the entire design, framing the composition neatly to the coin's edge. The overall design is restrained and heraldic in character, typical of Belgian commemorative issues of the mid-19th century. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Issued to mark the 25th anniversary of Leopold I's inauguration as Belgium's first king in July 1831, this copper piece belongs to a category of Belgian medallic coinage that occupied an awkward space between official issue and commemorative token. Leopold had been selected by the National Congress from a shortlist of European candidates — a constitutional monarchy built almost from scratch after secession from the Netherlands. The Dutch-language variant of this two-language series reflects the ongoing tension between Flemish and Walloon identity that would define Belgian politics for the next century and a half.