History
A tribute to King Baudouin, in gold
When King Baudouin died unexpectedly on 31 July 1993, a wave of national mourning swept the country. In his memory this gold commemorative medal appeared, struck in solid 99.9% gold (999/1000) with a weight of 15.55 grams, about half a troy ounce.
The displayed side bears the Great Seal of the Kingdom of Belgium: the central coat of arms with the Belgian lion, crowned and draped in the royal mantle, surrounded by the flags and arms of the nine historical provinces. Around it the country’s name appears in the three national languages, België · Belgique · Belgien. The engraving is by the medallist Jean De Bast.
The same heraldic design language appears on the Belgian gold ECU pieces of those years, which explains the resemblance. Because this is a commemorative medal and not a rare collector’s coin, the value lies in the gold itself. That is precisely why we buy this medal at its pure gold content, transparently calculated at the day’s rate.
Why a medal and not a coin? This issue carries no face value and never had legal tender status: it is a commemorative medal, not a circulation coin. For the gold value that makes no difference. Solid 999 gold remains solid 999 gold, and that is what we pay out fairly.
Gilded or solid? Of this type of coat-of-arms medal there are also cheaper, merely gilded versions without gold value. This medal, however, is solid 999 gold. Unsure which you have? A solid gold piece of this format weighs about 15.5 grams and feels distinctly heavier. Bring it along with any certificate and we will confirm the metal at once.
