1944 Provisional 1 Franc

This coin was struck from zinc planchets that had been recycled from pre-war stock, a makeshift solution during Belgium's chaotic liberation in September 1944.

The design features a simple lion rampant on the obverse, symbolizing the nation's resilience, and was produced at the Brussels mint under provisional authority. No fancy alloys here—just zinc, which corrodes easily and gives these coins a mottled look today.

Exact mintage figures are murky; records from that period were disrupted by the war, so we might never know how many were made. Varieties exist due to hurried production, including some with off-center strikes that numismatists like me spot from across the room.

Some call it a symbol of freedom, but that's overstating it. It's a coin that paid for bread.