The end of an era for Belgium’s Royal Mint

The Royal Mint of Belgium struck its first Belgian coins in 1832. From the end of the 1990’s the Mint started producing euro coins ready for the switch from the Belgian Franc to the euro at the start of 2002.

With more and more people paying electronically there is less and less need for coins. The Federal Government feels that it have become too expensive for the Royal Mint to goal on producing coins itself and has decided that a private company should produce Belgian euro coins.

It is not inconceivable that the Belgian euro coins might even end up being produced abroad. The production of special series and commemorative coins was stopped some time ago.

The 43 members of staff at the Royal Mint will remain in the employ of the Federal Finance Department and will be given other tasks.