Coin of the Week: 1987 Belgian 5 ECU

Front (Image: Charles V)  

Back (Inscription: 5 Ecu, Belgique, Belgien, België)

Before deciding on the Euro as the denomination for the new European currency, the "ECU" was proposed, and some ECU coins were struck. Because the initials for the European Currency Unit (E.C.U.) formed the acronym ECU, this was a rather neat name for the new unit. Belgium issued a number of different ECU denominations on various occasions. This 5 ECU coin was issued in 1987 and commemorates Charles V and the 30th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Charles V was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 to 1556. The Treaty of Rome (1957) established the European Economic Community.