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20 Francs Belgium Leopold II

In Stock
Belgium’s most prevalent and coveted classic gold coin, the Leopold II 20 franc, is a 21.6 karat ... read more
We sell We buy Spread
1-19
415,93 €
377,00 € 9.36%
20-49
414,77 €
377,00 € 9.11%
50+
413,22 €
377,00 € 8.77%
Delivery to parcel machine - 3,14 €
FedEx/TNT courier (Estonia) - 12,20 €
Self pick-up from Tavid office - FREE
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Self pick-up from Tavid office - FREE
Delivery costs start from 3,14 €
See more

Introduction

Belgium’s most prevalent and coveted classic gold coin, the Leopold II 20 franc, is a 21.6 karat gold piece that encapsulates the history of the Kingdom of Belgium. Rich in detail, this gold coin is embellished with Belgium’s coats of arms and gilded with the portrait of notorious King Leopold II. Belgian gold francs were part Europe’s first uniform precious metal regime and thus are of historical significance, making them suitable for collectors and investors who wish to possess tangible gold coins.

Why Buy

  • Leopold II 20 francs are Belgium’s most sought after gold coins. Embellished with Belgium’s majestic coats of arms, and showing peerless uniformity for five decades, they are Belgium most famous historical gold coins. 
  • Leopold II 20 francs are Belgium’s most widespread gold coins. With approximately 28 million pieces minted since 1883, Belgian 20 franc gold coins are a household name in the European bullion market. 
  • Belgian 20 francs are money. They are exempt from Value Added Tax, and are exchangeable throughout Europe by bullion dealers and investors alike. 
  • Belgian 20 franc coins are the equivalent of savings. Belgian gold francs are an ideal choice for any long-term saver who appreciates the security and stability of owning physical gold coins. 
  • Belgian 20 franc gold coins are an excellent way to diversify your portfolio. Gold’s low correlation with other financial assets makes sovereign gold coins serve as a portfolio hedge against market risk.

Buying gold items means low risks and maintaining wealth

Gold's value has grown over the years making it good to maintain or grow wealth.

  • Product value (1pc)
    415,93 €
  • Buyback price
    377,00 €
  • Your risk now
    38,93 €

Fact: gold price in EUR has risen 83.73% in the last 8 years. The lowest price was 1011,47 EUR/oz and the highest 2075,85 EUR/oz. Current world market price is 2070,27 EUR/oz

History

The Belgian gold franc and King Leopold II

With Belgium gaining independence from the Netherlands in 1831, the new Kingdom of Belgium introduced a year later its own coinage, referred to as Belgian francs, which was set to equal French coinage with regards to weight and composition. Though only silver and bronze coinage was minted in the beginning, Belgian gold francs were subsequently introduced in 1834, bearing the effigy of Belgium’s first king, Leopold I (father of Leopold II).  The gold francs were issued in denominations of 10, 20, 25 and 40 francs, with the 20 gold franc coin being the most common. They were minted until 1865 when King Leopold I passed away.

Following the king’s death, his son Leopold II acceded to the throne that same year and the new franc coinage carrying the effigy of Belgium’s second king was released two years later in 1867. King Leopold II ardently believed that a country should have colonies and he sought to establish Belgium as a colonial power. After several years of failing to gather support from the Belgium Government for his endeavours, Leopold II instead created a private holding company that hired the famous African explorer Henry Stanley, who, in the name of scientific research, was to explore and establish a colony in central Africa. Henry Stanley did just that, prospecting deep into the territories of Congo and laying claim to newly explored land in the process. When African affairs was discussed by European nations and the United States at the Berlin Conference of 1884, Leopold managed, through skilful diplomatic means, to convince the foreign powers of the time to recognise his legitimate claim to Congo.

In 1885, the Congo Free State, a country 76 times larger than Belgium, was created, with King Leopold II as the sole ruler. Although the newly founded colony was in the beginning a huge expense for Leopold’s holding company, this would change by the end of the 19th century with the invention of bicycle and automobile rubber tyres. This led to a dramatic increase in demand for rubber, and Congo, which contained large amounts of this natural resource, became a massive source of income for Leopold’s enterprise. In fact, some sources alleged that Leopold II was at the end of the 19th century the wealthiest man in Europe, a direct result of the Congo rubber trade. Even though profit from this lucrative trade belonged to his private holding company, Leopold invested a large portion of his money in architectural and public projects in Belgium. He financed several large-scale projects, the two most famous being the triumphal arch in Brussels and the central railway station in Antwerp, earning him the epithet of “Builder King”. By the end of his rule, Congo was ceded to the Belgium Government, which continued to govern the territories until 1960.   

Although King Leopold II passed away in 1909, the last 20 franc gold coin to bear his effigy was minted in 1882. An explanation of this might be that there was an influx of gold coinage from France, which was considered equal legal tender in the country as a result of Belgium’s membership of the Latin Monetary Union. Consequently, there was no need for Belgium to maintain the minting of its own gold coinage.

 

The Belgian franc and the Latin Monetary Union 

In 1865, Italy, France, Belgium and Switzerland founded Europe’s first major currency union under the name “Latin Monetary Union”. This union was an attempt to unify the respective countries’ money into a single uniform currency. The founding members of the union agreed on a uniform fineness and weight of their coinage, which was set to equal the French silver and gold franc, and they agreed to interchange each other’s gold and silver coinage at parity, irrespective of whether it carried another design, effigy or name. The ratio of the two precious metals was likewise standardised, with 4.5 grams of silver being equal to .290322 grams of gold, a ratio of 15.5 to 1. This standardisation facilitated and simplified trade among the member countries and was seen as an appealing concept, leading other European countries to join as well. Although the union came with numerous flaws, one of them being that individual governments over-issued paper notes above the stipulated fixed ratio that was set between paper notes and circulating precious metal coinage, they were all the consequence of poor human judgement rather than the failure of the uniform precious metal coinage itself. Nevertheless, the union expanded until the advent of World War I, and came to a formal end a decade later in 1927. 

Product weight in grams
6.4516
Gold weight in grams
5.80644
Fineness
900
Gold weight in troy ounces
0.18668
Diameter
21
Thickness
-
Face value description
20 franc
Manufacturer
Belgium

Obverse

The obverse portrays the effigy of King Leopold II. The title “LEOPOLD II ROI DES BELGES”, which translates as “Leopold II King of the Belgians”, surrounds his portrait. On the king’s neckline is the year of mintage and the signature of the master engraver “LW”.

Reverse

The reverse displays the coat of arms of Belgium, a lion on a circular shield draped with an ermine cape and topped by a crown. The coat of arms is encircled by the text “L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE”, which translates as “Unity is strength”, with the denomination “20 FR” inscribed at the bottom. 

Packaging

Each coin is individually packaged in a hard plastic capsule. 

Delivery
When placing an order through our online shop, you can choose to have the products delivered to you by Omniva courier or to collect them in person at one of our offices in Estonia.

Delivery by FedEx/TNT courier: after we have received your payment, the products will be dispatched within 24 hours. Delivery time is within 1 or 2 working days. The courier will contact you via phone.

Delivery to Omniva parcel machine: after we have received your payment, the products will be dispatched within 24 hours. Delivery time is normally within 1 or 2 working days. Please provide your phone number in order to receive SMS notification with a confirmation code when your parcel arrives.

Self pick-up: you are welcome to come and collect your products at one of our offices in Tallinn or Tartu the same day that we have received your payment.

In both instances, you need to bring a valid ID to collect the products.Take into consideration that the client, the payer and the recipient must be the same person.

Insurance
The package is fully insured, and in the extremely unlikely case that the package is lost or damaged, we will re-ship the items or refund your money.

Packaging
The products are encased in protective wrapping and placed in a discreet, unbranded padded package.

Shipment tracking
Once the products have been packaged and sent you will receive instructions and a code to track the shipment.

Delays
Should a delivery delay occur or if the ordered product is out of stock, we will always contact you by email to give you details about the delivery.

Shipping prices
The shipping charge is 5.16 EUR by Omniva courier and 2.95 EUR by Omniva parcel machine, applicable to deliveries within Estonia. If you wish to have your products delivered to another country, please contact us on +372 627 9900 or by email at tavid@tavid.ee for prices (starting from 50 EUR) and terms.

Expected shipping cost

Tavid offers easy and secure shipping for all online orders. Take a look at the expenses.

Vast Stock Availability

The majority of Tavid’s products are always in stock and therefore Tavid can offer you quick delivery and same day pick-up with market leading prices. Tavid is an official partner of all the biggest mints in the world, such as the Perth Mint Australia, the Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich), China Great Wall Coins Investments Ltd., the gold bar market leader PAMP Suisse and Valcambi and other gold factories and dealers.

Same day pick-up

Feel free to visit our office during opening hours to have a free consultation or learn more about a specific product. If you purchase online you can pick up the products on the same day we receive the payment.

Low prices

Over 25 years on the market and large volumes have enabled us to offer you the best prices on the market. With Tavid, you can maximise return on your investment because of low margins and spreads.

Availability in offices

This product is currently available at these locations:

Rocca Al Mare Shopping Centre
Kristiine Shopping Centre
Lõunakeskus Shopping Centre
Sikupilli Prisma Shopping Centre
Väike-Järve Center (Head Office)

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