During
World War II, the
Belgian government needed to mint coins using metal that would not be needed for the war effort. Therefore, silver coinage was discontinued and coins were instead minted using pure zinc.
In 1944, shortly before the Liberation, the Allies minted 25 million 2 franc coins at the
Philadelphia Mint, which were put in circulation after Belgium regained its independence.
Occupation coinage
One Franc
The 1 franc coin, showing
arms of
Brabant and the state title on the obverse and the royal monogram on the reverse.
The 1 Franc coin was circulated through Belgium from 1941.
The 5 franc coin, showing the monogramme and bust of King Leopold III
The 5 franc coin was minted between 1941 and 1947, first by the Germans during the occupation of Belgium, and then by the Belgian government after the end of World War II. The coin composed of 100% zinc, and was an emergency issue type.
The 5 centimes coin was minted between 1941 and 1943 during the German occupation. The coin composed of 100%
zinc, and was an emergency issue type. There are also two varieties. The Centime is a sub-unit of the franc. It is 1/100 of a franc.
The 10 centime coin, showing three provincial shields in addition to the monogramme of Leopold III
The 10 centimes coin was minted between 1941 and 1946, first by the Germans during the occupation of Belgium, and then by the Belgian government after World War II ended. The coin composed of 100% zinc, and was an emergency issue type. There are also two different varieties.
The 25 centime coin, showing three provincial shields in addition to the monogramme of Leopold III
The 25 centimes coin was minted between 1941 and 1947, first by the Germans during the occupation, and then by the Belgian government after
World War II ended. The coin composed of 100% zinc, and was an emergency issue type. There are also two different varieties.
The zinc-coated steel 2 franc coin. Only one variant was minted.
The 2 franc coin was minted by the
United States in 1944 in preparation for the
Allied liberation of Belgium. An
Allied Occupation Issue, this coin was minted at the
Philadelphia Mint with the blank planchets of the
1943 steel cent[10] Some of these coins have a slightly different weight, and thus their blank planchets would have been specifically made for this foreign denomination.