History
The euro avant la lettre
The gold 50 Belgian ECU is perhaps the most remarkable coin on this list. Not only for the gold it contains, but for what it symbolises: the dream of a monetarily united Europe, long before the euro existed.
On 13 March 1979 the ECU (European Currency Unit) was introduced as a European unit of account. Belgium took on a pioneering role: the only country to give the ECU legal tender status, it struck gold commemorative coins. The first edition appeared in 1987, marking the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.
The best-known edition (1987–1988) shows on the obverse Emperor Charles V, the first to attempt to introduce a uniform monetary system across his vast European empire. Until 1998, one year before the introduction of the euro, Belgium continued to release new editions each year.
In both variants the ECU contains exactly half a troy ounce of fine gold (15.55 grams). A rare coin: compared with the Krugerrand or Maple Leaf, few ECU coins were struck.
