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5 Francs - Léopold I Pattern
| Issuer | Belgium |
|---|---|
| Year | 1847 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central shield bearing the Belgian coat of arms, crowned and supported, dividing the denomination numeral 5 and the abbreviation F. The motto ribbon below the shield bears the French national motto UNION FAIT LA FORCE. The partial date 18 appears in the lower exergual area, with the full year completed as 1847. The design is framed by a beaded border consistent with the obverse, in a formal heraldic composition typical of mid-19th century Belgian coinage. |
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| Reverse lettering | 5 F UNION FAIT LA FORCE 18 (Translation: Unity Makes Strength) |
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| Additional information |
Pattern coinage from this period in Belgium served a specific bureaucratic function: physical proposals submitted to the Ministry of Finance for approval before dies were committed to production runs. The 1847 date places this piece in the middle of Léopold I's reign, a period of relative monetary stability following Belgium's adoption of the French franc system after independence in 1830. Gold-plated bronze was the standard medium for such submissions — it conveyed the intended appearance of a precious-metal coin without the material cost of striking multiple gold trials.
The absence of any standard catalog number across KM, Moreaux, and Laureyssens points to either an unattributed die marriage or a piece that never entered formal numismatic literature.