50 francs 1939 Léopold III BELGIQUE:BELGIE

The coin's story

This 50 francs coin in 835 thousandths silver was struck in 1939 and 1940, on the eve of the invasion of Belgium, during the reign of Leopold III. Its reverse brings together under a crown the shields of the country's nine provinces, from Antwerp to Namur, with the bilingual legend BELGIQUE:BELGIE. The portrait is the work of Marcel Rau, a Brussels sculptor and medallist trained at the Brussels Academy under Charles Van der Stappen. The 1939 date was struck in 1,000,000 pieces at the Royal Mint in Brussels, the edge inscription reads in two positions, which distinguish two varieties. The reign of Leopold III would be marked by the war and then by the Royal Question, which led him to abdicate in 1951. The coin was demonetised on 20 June 1947.