1940 Belgium 5 Centimes Occupation Coin

The 1940 Belgian occupation coin was struck in the Brussels mint, which German forces had commandeered just days after invading in May 1940, turning a symbol of national pride into a tool of control.

This coin, a 5-franc piece, featured the same basic design as pre-war issues but with subtle modifications ordered by the occupiers. They removed certain national motifs to erase Belgian identity, though records don't specify exactly which ones. Mintage figures are murky; occupation disruptions likely led to incomplete tallies.

It was produced on recycled planchets from earlier Belgian coins, a practical move amid wartime metal shortages. That meant some pieces might have carried faint traces of the old regime's stamps.

Some call it a curio of compromise. As if the coin itself knew better than to pick sides.