Belgium 1914 frank
The first specimen was lot 37546 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2025), where it sold for $65. The catalog description[1] noted, "BELGIUM. Franc, 1914. Albert I. PCGS MS-65. Dutch legends: 'DER BELGEN'." This coin, one of a type struck 1910-14 and 1917-18 during the reign of Albert I of Belgium (1909-34), was struck with Walloons (dialect of French) and Flemish (dialect of Dutch) legends. The Flemish legend type is shown here; it is common. Belgium was thoroughly devastated during World War One and its silver coinage was terminated. This coin was demonetized in 1932.
Recorded mintage: 10,221,581 plus 11,221,581 with French legends.
Specification: 5 g, 0.835 fine silver, 23 mm diameter, reeded edge.
Catalog reference: KM-73.1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2025 NYINC Showcase Auction, featuring the Richard Margolis Collection, Part III, and the Richard August Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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