Belgium 1934 50 centiemen
This specimen was lot 852 in Jean Elsen sale 148 (Brussels, September 2021), where it sold for €130 (about US$184 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BELGIQUE, Royaume, Albert Ier (1909-1934), nickel 50 centiemen, 1934NL. Rare. Très Beau à Superbe. (kingdom of Belgium, Albert I, 1909-34, nickel fifty centimes of 1934, Dutch legends. Rare, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
This type was issued 1922-23, 1928-34 and replaced the silver 50 centimes of 1910-18. This date is rare; the other dates are common. Note the "GOED VOOR" ("Good for") legend on the reverse; this made the coin technically a token and preserved the legal fiction that the prewar gold franc was still in effect. It was also struck at the Brussels mint with French legends (KM 87), tho not in 1934. As Belgium is about evenly divided between the two languages, that is the government's answer to local regionalism. King Albert was killed in a climbing accident in 1934.
Recorded mintage: 935,000, a scarce date.
Specification: nickel, 18 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 88, Bogaert 2520C.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 148: Monnaies, Médailles et Décorations, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2021.
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