Catalog
50 Centimes - Léopold II Pattern
| Issuer | Congo Free State (1885-1908) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1896 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed right-facing bust of King Léopold II, rendered in high relief with naturalistic portrait style characteristic of late 19th-century Belgian medallic art. The king is depicted in advanced age with a prominent beard, wearing a draped coat. The engraver's signature FERNAND DUBOIS appears in small incuse letters at the lower right of the bust. The circular legend reads LEOP II R D BELG SOUV DE L'ETAT INDEP DU CONGO, distributed around the upper and lateral fields. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central shield bearing the arms of the Congo Free State — a lion rampant on a horizontally striped field with a five-pointed star in canton — surmounted by a royal crown. The shield is flanked by two symmetrical branches, likely of oil palm, extending across the field in an ornamental wreath arrangement. The denomination 50 CENTS appears in a curved legend above the central device, and the date 1896 is inscribed in the exergue below the shield. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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