Belgian franc
The Belgian franc (Belgische frank, Franc belge, Belgischer Franken) was the currency of the Kingdom of Belgium from 1832 until 2002 when the Euro was introduced. It was subdivided into 100 subunits, each known as a centiem in Dutch, centime in French or a Centime in German. The gulden (guilder) of 20 stuivers was the currency of present-day Belgium from the 15th to 19th centuries until its replacement in 1832 by the Belgian franc. Its value differed from the gulden of the Dutch Republic during the latter's separation from Belgium from 1581 to 1816. Standard coins issued in Belgium include: From 1618: the patagon or Albertusthaler of 24.55 g fine silver, worth 2.4 gulden or 48 stuiver (or 10.23 g fine silver per gulden) From 1754: the kronenthaler of 25.71 g fine silver, worth 3.15 gulden currency or 2.7 gulden of exchange (9.52 g silver per exchange gulden). The French silver écu of 26.67 g silver was also accepted for 2.8 exchange gulden. From 1816 to 1832: the Dutch guilder of 9.613 g silver of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Dutch guilder The French franc of 4.5 g silver arrived in Belgium following its occupation during the Napoleonic Wars. Its equivalence of 1 franc = 0.4725 gulden (or 9.52 g silver per exchange gulden, with the gulden currency abolished) doomed the rollout of the higher-valued Dutch guilder, since 20 francs can purchase 9.45 silver guilders which can be melted down to recover 90.84 g fine silver worth 20.19 francs. Following independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the new Kingdom of Belgium abolished the gulden in 1832 in favor of the Belgian franc, which was equivalent to the French franc. Luxembourg used both French and Belgian francs until it issued its own Luxembourgish franc in 1854. Belgium was the first country to introduce coins made of cupronickel in 1860. In 1865, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy created the Latin Monetary Union (to be joined by Greece in 1868): each would possess a national currency unit (franc, lira, drachma) worth 4.5 g of silver or 290.
