Belgium's Royal Mint has issued licensed character coins for decades, but the Smurfs carry particular national weight — Pierre Culliford, who created them under the pen name Peyo, was born in Brussels in 1928. The 2018 Philippe-effigy version falls within a broader commemorative Smurf series the mint has revisited periodically since the characters' 60th anniversary push began around 2008.
Struck in .925 silver at relatively modest collector mintages, these issues move quickly on the secondary market among thematic collectors, often outpacing more conventionally significant Belgian commemoratives.
Belgium's Royal Mint has issued licensed character coins for decades, but the Smurfs carry particular national weight — Pierre Culliford, who created them under the pen name Peyo, was born in Brussels in 1928. The 2018 Philippe-effigy version falls within a broader commemorative Smurf series the mint has revisited periodically since the characters' 60th anniversary push began around 2008.
Struck in .925 silver at relatively modest collector mintages, these issues move quickly on the secondary market among thematic collectors, often outpacing more conventionally significant Belgian commemoratives.