Belgium 1862 5 centimes
This specimen was lot 74158 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $144. The catalog description[1] noted, "BELGIUM. 5 Centimes, 1862. Leopold I. Brussels Mint. NGC MS-67. An attractive example with crisp detail and powerful luster balanced by an even light gray color." Leopold was a prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha who married the daughter of George IV of England. After her death, he was offered the throne of Greece, which he wisely declined. In 1830, he accepted the throne of the new state of Belgium, recently separated from the Netherlands. A Protestant in a Catholic country, he tried to remain non-partisan and promoted railways as an alternative to the port of Antwerp, which the Dutch had blocked. This early copper-nickel issue was struck 1861-64 and replaced a copper coin of larger diameter. Similar ten and twenty centimes exist. The 1862/1 overdate obtains a premium.
Recorded mintage: 14,149,000 including 1862/1.
Specification: 2.95 g, copper-nickel, 19.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-21.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
Link to: