Belgium 2 Euro Base Metals Proof Coin 2023 - 75 years of Women's Suffrage

For Sale:
Belgium 2 Euro Base Metals Proof Coin 2023 - 75 years of Women's Suffrage

Sellers Note:
This coin is of Proof Quality, also known as BE (Belle Épreuve) or PP (Polierte Platte / Polished Proof).
Proof coins are struck twice with specially prepared dies, which are typically polished between strikes.
This process produces exceptional sharpness and a highly reflective finish.
While Proof coins share the same design as their uncirculated counterparts, they are fundamentally different: the relief is higher, the fields are smoother and more mirror-like, and the overall design appears more prominent and refined.
Not every collector of €2 commemorative coins seeks out the Proof versions—often produced in much lower mintages—but I believe every €2 commemorative coin collection deserves at least one Proof example.
Even a single coin offers an excellent point of comparison, if not for the differneces in the commemorative reverse then for the study of the common obverse.

Country: Belgium
Face Value: 2 Euro
Theme: 75 years of Women's Suffrage
Composition: Base Metals
Quality: Proof
Year: 2023
Weight: 8.5 g
Mintage: 5,000
Coin Shape: Circular
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Edge: Reeded
Edge Inscription: Lettering
Packaging: Official Box and Capsule
Condition: See images
Certificate: Yes
Mint: Royal Belgian Mint
Designer: Iris Bruijns

Shipping Options
Only charge An Post rates (rounded up to nearest Euro)
(Will combine shipping):
* Standard Post (Ireland): €5
* Registered Post (Ireland): €10
* Collection (Bray): Free

Payment Options:
* Bank Transfer.
* PayPal.
* Revolut (Preferred).
* Cash.

Description:
Following the 2011 2 euro coin in the context of International Women's Day, the Royal Mint of Belgium issued a unique 2 euro coin in honor of 75 years of general women's suffrage in Belgium.

1831:
All Belgians equal before the law… Or not?
In 1831, the newly born Belgium was given a constitution that was considered very progressive at the time.
Only the women were completely forgotten about this! It was sufficient for the National Congress to adopt the ideas of the famous Napoleonic Code, which equated women with minors and incompetent persons.
Talk about gender discrimination!

1850-1900:
Feminist movements make their entrance...
During the second half of the 19th century, the first movements for women's emancipation emerged in Belgium. Equal opportunities in education, especially for girls, as well as equal civil rights for men and women were high on the (women's) agenda at the time.
By uniting and organizing properly, Belgian women had already been able to claim a number of interesting economic and civil rights on the eve of the First World War.
Yet woman still remained far from equal to man.

1920:
A typical 'compromis à la Belge'…
Everything had yet to begin, especially in the political field. After 1918, women's right to vote became the leitmotif for the feminist movement. Despite all the efforts and much lobbying, the program for full women's suffrage could only be partially realized.
It is true that on May 3, 1920, women were given the right to vote for municipal and provincial elections and women could also stand for election.
But the right to vote in elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate had to wait until… 3 years after the Second World War!

1948:
Finally a full right to vote for Belgian women!
After liberation, the granting of women's suffrage was no longer questioned.
New times are dawning and objections have become scarce.
On March 27, 1948, women's parliamentary right to vote became a legal fact.
Since then, the Belgian woman has been able to continuously strengthen her position, although there is still work to be done to get the gender scales perfectly balanced.

A euro coin for women, designed by a woman!
To appropriately celebrate the 75th anniversary of Belgian women's right to vote, the Royal Mint of Belgium has released a particularly original 2 euro coin that perfectly reflects the female pursuit of gender equality.

The image side shows a Venus symbol as a voting box that is filled in with a pencil and is surrounded by the bilingual caption 'GENERAL WOMEN'S SELECTION RIGHT - SUFFRAGE UNIVERSEL FÉMININ'.
To the left of the box is the inscription 75 YEARS/ANS and to the right the country mark BE, the year 2023 as well as the mint mark (Mercury's staff) and the mint master mark (an Erlenmeyer flask with aster).
At the very bottom of the Venus sign you will discover the initials IB of IRIS BRUIJNS: our new (female) coin designer since last year, yes!