2004 Coinage
| 75 Years of Tintin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designer: Luc Luycx | Mint: Royal Belgian Mint | |||
| Value: €10 | Alloy: Ag 925 (silver) | Quantity: 50,006 | Quality: Proof | |
| Issued: 4 January 2004 | Diameter: 33 mm (1.30 in) | Weight: 18.75 g (0.66 oz; 0.60 ozt) | ||
| The coin celebrates the 75th anniversary of the famous Belgian cartoon Tintin, also known as Kuifje. The minting of this coin received a lot of attention worldwide; even the Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders attended the minting ceremony. "It is important to celebrate Tintin and Hergé not only in Belgium, but all over the world", he said.
A portrait of Tintin and his dog Snowy can be seen on the obverse of the coin. The reverse shows a map of the European Union as of 2004. "Belgium" in the three official languages is displayed as well as the nominal value of 10 euro, surrounded by the 12 stars of the union. |
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| Expansion of the European Union | ||||
| Designer: Luc Luycx | Mint: Royal Belgian Mint | |||
| Value: €10 | Alloy: Ag 925 (silver) | Quantity: 40,626 | Quality: Proof | |
| Issued: 30 July 2004 | Diameter: 33 mm (1.30 in) | Weight: 18.75 g (0.66 oz; 0.60 ozt) | ||
| The female character Europa, abducted by Zeus, watching the continent from the skies, is shown on the obverse of the coin.
The continent Europe has ultimately been named after this female character. In the eighth century, ecclesiastical uses of Europa for the imperium of Charlemagne provide the source for the modern geographical term. The name of Europe as a geographical term came in use by Ancient Greek geographers such as Strabo. It is derived from the Greek word Europa (Ευρώπη) in almost all European languages. Europa has been used frequently as a symbol of Europe; statues of her and the bull, are placed outside several European Union institutions. On the reverse of the coin, "Belgium" in the three official languages is displayed as well as the nominal value of 10 euro, surrounded by the 12 stars of the union. |
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| 70th Birthday of King Albert II | ||||
| Designer: Luc Luycx | Mint: Royal Belgian Mint | |||
| Value: €50 | Alloy: Au 999 (gold) | Quantity: 3,671 | Quality: Proof | |
| Issued: 30 July 2004 | Diameter: 21 mm (0.83 in) | Weight: 6.22 g (0.22 oz; 0.20 ozt) | ||
| The obverse shows the effigy of King Albert II. To the left of the coin, the royal mint mark is depicted with the number 70, representing his 70th birthday.
The reverse shows, for the first time, the map of the whole of Europe as a representation of the European Union Expansion that took place in 2004. "Belgium" in the three official languages is displayed as well as the nominal value of 50 euro, surrounded by the 12 stars of the union. |
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| Expansion of the European Union | ||||
| Designer: Luc Luycx | Mint: Royal Belgian Mint | |||
| Value: €100 | Alloy: Au 999 (gold) | Quantity: 5,000 | Quality: Proof | |
| Issued: 2004 | Diameter: 29 mm (1.14 in) | Weight: 15.55 g (0.55 oz; 0.50 ozt) | ||
| On 1 May 2004, eight of the old communist countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia), plus the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus, joined the union. This was the largest single enlargement in terms of people and landmass, although the smallest in terms of GDP.
To commemorate this remarkable event, the Belgian mint minted this gold commemorative coin. The obverse shows ten famous landmarks, each of them located in one of the ten new members of the European Union, surrounding the euro symbol with the 12 stars of the union. The reverse shows the new map of the union, with the new members added. The names of these new members are also shown to the right of the map. |
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Read more about this topic: Euro Gold And Silver Commemorative Coins (Belgium)
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“Designs in connection with postage stamps and coinage may be described, I think, as the silent ambassadors on national taste.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)