ObverseImage: Wikimedia Commons · Siren-Com · CC BY-SA 3.0
1870 Belgium 5 Francs
Belgium
1870
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Estimated Melt Value
$54.25
Based on Silver spot price ($80.83/oz) · 83.5% purity · 25g
Updated 11:15 PM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | Belgium |
| Years Minted | 1870 |
| Composition | 0.835 silver |
| Weight | 25 g |
| Diameter | 38 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Design
Obverse
Features the bust of King Leopold II facing right.
Reverse
Depicts a crowned shield within a wreath.
History & Notable Facts
In 1870, Belgium's 5 Francs coin was struck with the precise 0.835 silver fineness required by the Latin Monetary Union, even as the Franco-Prussian War disrupted trade across Europe.
This silver piece, weighing 25 grams and measuring 38 millimeters across, bears King Leopold II's portrait on one side and the Belgian arms on the other. It circulated widely, thanks to the union's standards that aligned it with French and Swiss francs.
Exact mintage numbers are lost; the Brussels mint's records from that period were haphazard at best. Some specimens show die variations, likely from rushed production.
One dry note: It handled international relations better than the politicians did.
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