Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 50 Centimes 1956-2001, KM# 149, Belgium, Baudouin
  • 50 Centimes 1956-2001, KM# 149, Belgium, Baudouin
Description

Baudouin (1930–1993) was King of the Belgians from 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of the Congo.

Engraver: Marcel Rau

Variations of size of head (obverse) and letters (reverse):

KM# 145 (1952-1954, Dutch Text, Larger Head):
Type A: larger head, smaller crown and letters; legend far from rim

KM# 149.1:
Type B: smaller head, large letters, broad rim, larger crown
Type C: larger head, large letters, broad rim

KM# 149.2: medal alignment

Obverse

Depicts a miner facing left. Mining lamp on the right with the engraver's name underneath.

Marcel Rau was inspired by the works of Belgian sculptor and painter Constantin Emile Meunier (1831-1905). The miner's profile has been adopted from the statue "Monument of Work" located in Leaken district in Brussels.

A safety lamp is any of several types of lamp that provides illumination in coal mines and is designed to operate in air that may contain coal dust or gases, both of which are potentially flammable or explosive. Until the development of effective electric lamps in the early 1900s, miners used flame lamps to provide illumination. Open flame lamps could ignite flammable gases which collected in mines, causing explosions; safety lamps were developed to enclose the flame and prevent it from igniting the surrounding atmosphere.

RAU

Reverse

Crowned facial value dividing date. Legend above (country name) in Dutch.

BELGIË
20 50 01
CENTIMES

Edge

50 Centimes

Dutch Text, Small Head
KM# 149 Schön# 97 LA# BFM-81/83
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Characteristics
Material Bronze
Weight 2.75 g
Diameter 19 mm
Thickness 1.21 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Alt # KM# 149.1, KM# 149.2
Mint
Royal Belgian Mint

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