Belgium Albert II 20 Euro Cent

History

20 Euro Cent 2009-2013, KM# 299, Belgium, Albert II

Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com

Description

On 7 June 2005, the European Council decided that the common side of the €0.10 to €2 coins should be brought up to date to reflect the enlargement of the EU in 2004. The €0.01, €0.02 and €0.05 coins show Europe in relation to the rest of the world, therefore they remained unchanged. In 2007, the new design was introduced. The design still retains all elements of the original designs but the map of the fifteen states is replaced by one showing the whole of Europe as a continent, without borders, to stress unity.

The 2008 portrait did not comply with previous decisions by the ECOFIN in 2005 and 2008. Therefore, an amendment was made, which reverted to the portrait of Albert II found in the 2002 series (1st type). Mint marks, year and stars remain the same (2nd type).

Obverse	Monogram, signature Albert II of Belgium Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Albert II of Belgium The inner section shows an effigy of King Albert II in profile facing to the left. The royal monogram (crowned A II) and the indication of the country (BE) on the right. Date below, surrounded by the mint director's privy mark (left in 2009, otherwise right) and mintmark (right in 2009, otherwise left). The outer ring of the coin depicts the twelve stars of the European flag. Albert II (born 6 June 1934) reigned as King of the Belgians from 1993 until his abdication in 2013. Albert II was the fourth monarch to abdicate in 2013, following Pope Benedict XVI, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and Emir Hamad bin Khalifa of Qatar. In doing so, he was also the second Belgian monarch to abdicate following his father, King Leopold III, who abdicated in 1951, albeit under very different circumstances. Mintmark of the Royal Belgian Mint: Head of Archangel Michael (Saint-Patron of Brussels) Director's privy marks: • Scale (Romain Coenen, 1987-2009) • Feather (Serge Lesens, 2010-2012) • Cat (Bernard Gillard 2013-) Engraver: Jan Alfons Keustermans A II BE 2011
Reverse	Geography & astronomy Map A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the left side of the coin. 12 stars are located on the left side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments. Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “0” in “20.” 20 LL EURO CENT
Edge	Indented A smooth edge separated into equal sections by seven indents (Spanish flower)