14 Florin Belgium Gold

Belgium. Lion d' Or of 14 Florins, 1790 (Brussels). Fr-402; Delm.-221; Witte-1155; KM-51. 8.32 grams. Insurrection of the United Belgians, 1790-1792. The Belgian Lion standing left, head turned right, holding sword and shield inscribed “LI BER TAS”. Reverse: Rayed Sun encircircled by the coats of arms of the eleven rebellious provinces. A wonderfully even, detailed strike. Lustrous to matte devices on reflective fields; both dies already showing light breaks. Some trivial abrasions scattered in the fields, nevertheless an especially fine example of this rarity. Even rarer in this grade. Handsome rich gold toning, with light areas of red. NGC graded MS-64. Belgium was at this time under the control of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who alienated the Belgians to the point of rebellion. Ironically, soon after the lands were re-conquered, they were taken by Napoleon’s armies. The symbolism here makes it a marvelous piece from the Age of Revolution.