History
A thousand years of Brussels, in gold
In 1979 Brussels celebrated its thousand-year existence (979–1979). The gold commemorative medal shows on the displayed side the town hall on the Grand Place with the Latin inscription “URBS BRUXELLA”, meaning “city of Brussels”.
The reverse shows Saint Michael slaying the dragon, the patron saint of Brussels, with the years 979 and 1979 on either side. It is a small piece of gold of 6.45 grams, 90% pure, good for 5.805 grams of fine gold, struck by the Royal Mint of Belgium.
As with most commemorative medals the value lies in the gold, not in rarity. We buy the medal at its pure gold content, calculated at the current price and in your presence.
The year 979. According to tradition the founding of Brussels dates to around 979, when a fortress rose on an island in the Senne (near Saint-Géry). A thousand years later, in 1979, the capital celebrated that millennium in style. The gold medal was a tangible memento of it.
Town hall and Saint Michael. The displayed side shows the late-Gothic town hall on the Grand Place with its slender tower. The reverse presents Saint Michael slaying the dragon: for centuries the patron saint of Brussels, and not by chance also the gilded statue atop the town hall tower. Both sides tell the same story, but the value lies in the 5.805 grams of fine gold.
