Belgium Euro Coins
Belgium became a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1957, and
Brussels is home to many key European institutions, including the European Commission and the European Parliament.
As one of the EU's founding members and the self-styled "capital of Europe", there is great support for EMU in
Belgium. Belgians are used to the idea of monetary union, having shared a currency with Luxembourg since 1920.
The euro's popularity is undisputed, with 70 per cent in favour of EMU, according to a survey in 1999.
The national designs on the Belgian euro coins represent elements of the coins previously in circulation. A
national panel made up of leading Belgian officials, artists and experts in numismatics chose the motif used on all
the coins. The Belgian euro coins feature only a single design for all eight coins: the portrait or effigy of King
Albert II of Belgium and his royal monogram (a capital 'A' underneath a crown). Also part of the design by Jan Alfons
Keustermans (Director of the Municipal Academy of Fine Arts of Turnhout) are the 12 stars of the EU and the year of
imprint.
In 2002, two Polish statisticians performed an experiment that indicated that the Belgian €1 coin lands on
heads more often than tails when spun on a table. However, their result, 140 heads out of 250 flips, is not
significant, since the probability of a result this extreme or more extreme is more than 6%. Please take a look at
The Belgian National Mint.
The Belgian 2 euro coin edge inscription
| Edge |
|---|
 |
| |
| The sequence "2 * *" repeated six times alternately upright and inverted |
Mintmarks on Belgian euro coins
| King's monogram
| Archangel St. Michael
| 1999–present (€2 commemorative coins), 2008–present (standard issue euro coins) |
January 2009 |
June 2012 |
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| |
Monogram
King Alberto's royal monogram, an "A" under a crown |
St. Michael
Head of archangel St. Michael, patron saint of Brussels |
Scale
Representing the Belgian Royal Mint director, Romain Coenen |
Feather
Representing the Belgian Royal Mint director, Serge Lesens |
Cat (Gillard's pet)
Representing the Belgian Royal Mint director, Bernard Gillard |
Prior to 2008, the Head of archangel St. Michael only appeared on commemorative issues
2008 Redesign
In 2008, Belgium made a slight modification to the design of its national sides in order to comply with the common
guidelines recommended by the European Commission. The new national sides continued to bear the effigy of His Majesty Albert
II, King of the Belgians, encircled by twelve stars, but the royal monogram and the date of issuance featured in the inner
part of the coin – not in the outer ring – together with two new elements: the mint marks and the abbreviation of the
country name (‘BE’).
2014 Redesign
As of 2014, the second series of the Belgian coins show, on every denomination, the effigy of the new Head of State
His Majesty Philippe, King of the Belgians, in profile to the right. To the left of the effigy, the indication of the
issuing country "BE" and on top of it the royal monogram. Under the effigy, the mint master mark at the left and the
mint mark at the right flank the year of issuance.