This beauty from the land of my forefathers is a special one for me . This coin is 37 mm by 3 mm thick , weighs 25 grams , and is .90 % silver . There were 22,341,000 of these coins minted in 1873 . The 5 Francs was a crown sized silver coin issued from 1865 to 1878. The primary design used for the coin was to recognize the reigning monarch of that time period , King Leopold II . Leopold II would take over as King of Belgium on December 10, 1865 where he would remain until his death on December 17, 1909. Leopold’s great legacy was that as founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State or Belgian Congo. Leopold’s policies over the Congo State would be one of Africa’s darkest moments in history with his attempts of genocide of the peoples of Congo.
The obverse of this coin features a crowned royal shield between the denomination “5F” all encircled within a wreath. On the upper outer
rim is the phrase ”L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE” or in English “THE UNION IS STRENGTH” while on the lower outer rim is the year of issue.
The reverse design shows a bust image of Leopold II facing left. Just beneath Leopold’s neck is the engravers name “LEOP WIENER”. On the outer rim is the phrase “LEOPOLD II ROI DES BELGES” or in English “LEOPOLD II KING OF THE BELGIANS”.
This edge of this coin has the raised words “DIEU PROTEGE LA BELGIQUE” or in English “GOD PROTECTS BELGIUM”.
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