50 cent 1901 LEOPOLD II KONING DER BELGEN

The coin's story

This silver 50 centimes coin, struck only with the date 1901, belongs to the coinage of the reign of Leopold II, King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. Its reverse shows the Belgian lion seated, its paw on the tablet of the Constitution, below the national motto in Dutch EENDRACHT MAAKT MACHT (Unity makes strength). Its fineness of 835 thousandths follows the rules of the Latin Monetary Union, concluded in 1865 with France, Italy and Switzerland, which reserved 900 thousandths silver for the 5 francs coins and set 835 thousandths for the smaller denominations. The design is the work of Thomas Vinçotte (1850-1925), a sculptor and medallist close to the court of Leopold II, who signs on the reverse. The coin was struck in 3,000,000 pieces at the Royal Mint in Brussels. It was demonetised on 30 July 1932.