1910 Belgium 5 Francs Pattern

The 1910 5 Francs Pattern from Belgium was struck as a trial to test a new edge reeding technique, which aimed to combat counterfeiting in an era of rising forgery concerns.

This coin featured a design with King Albert I's portrait on the obverse and the Belgian coat of arms on the reverse. Officials at the Brussels Mint produced it in silver, though records don't specify if other metals were tested. Patterns like this often served as prototypes before full production, reflecting Belgium's cautious approach to currency updates after the 19th-century reforms.

We don't know the exact number made; mint logs from that period are spotty at best. What survives shows a coin that never circulated, left to gather dust in collections.

Some numismatists quip it's the only time a pattern outshone the final product—by simply existing.