50 Cents 1909 Leopold II

The coin's story

This silver 50 centimes coin belongs to the series struck from 1907 to 1909, the last years of the reign of Leopold II, King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. 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 portrait is the work of Thomas Vinçotte (1850-1925), a sculptor and medallist close to the court of Leopold II, whose name appears below the neck. The reverse, without a motto, shows the value and the date within a wreath of oak and ivy. The 1909 date, the year of the King's death, was struck in 2,503,000 pieces and exists in two varieties depending on the signature. The coin was demonetised on 30 July 1932.