Luxembourg 1854 5 centimes
This five centimes was struck 1854-55, 1860 and 1870 for the grand duchy of Luxembourg. The 1854, shown here, was made in Brussels. Luxembourg was long part of the Burgundian Netherlands, the Spanish Netherlands, the Austrian Netherlands and finally Napoleonic France. Only sporadically had coins been struck specifically for the duchy. At the Congress of Vienna, Luxembourg was attached to the kingdom of the Netherlands but was inside the German Confederation. As such, the king of the Netherlands struck coins for his new domain. This type was struck in Brussels 1854 and 1870 and at Paris 1855 and 1860. Ten and 2½ centime pieces were also made. Matching the module of a French five centimes of Napoleon III, it likely also circulated in France and Belgium. In 1830, most of the duchy joined the new state of Belgium but a sliver remained part of the Netherlands and was under Dutch rule until the death of William III in 1890.
Recorded mintage: 680,000.
Specification: 5 g, bronze, 25.2 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: KM-22.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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