50 francs - King Baudouin - Expo 1958 in French

The coin's story

This silver 50 francs coin was issued for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, Expo 58, held on the Heysel plateau from 17 April to 19 October 1958. The first major world's fair recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions after the Second World War, it welcomed nearly 42 million visitors. Its emblematic monument, the Atomium, intended to last only six months, has never been dismantled. The reverse shows Brussels Town Hall with the exhibition logo, and the obverse King Baudouin. Both sides are the work of the medallist Carlos Van Dionant, the coin exists in a French version and a Dutch version, and the date was struck in 476,000 pieces in this version. It was demonetised on 1 January 1972.