Belgium 20 Euro Silver (.925) Proof Coin 2022 - 150 years Red Star Line

For Sale:
Belgium 20 Euro Silver (.925) Proof Coin 2022 - 150 years Red Star Line

Country: Belgium
Face Value: 20 Euro
Theme: 150 years Red Star Line
Composition: Silver (.925)
Quality: Proof
Year: 2022
Weight: 22.85 g
Fine Weight: 21.14 g (0.68 Troy Oz)
Mintage: 2,500
Coin Shape: Circular
Diameter: 37.0 mm
Edge: Plain
Edge Inscription: None
Packaging: Official Box and Capsule
Condition: See images
Certificate: Yes
Mint: Royal Dutch Mint
Designer: Luc Luycx

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.
* Cash.

Description:
Reverse
This silver Proof 20 euro coin not only has a beautiful obverse design, but also shows the portrait of King Philippe! Never before has the king graced a collector coin on the face value side! In the design by Luc Luycx, King Philippe looks to the right, where his monogram is also depicted.

Obverse
The obverse of the coin was designed by Iris Bruijns and shows a representation of the SS Belgenland , this luxury cruise ship sailed for Red Star Line from 1923 to 1934.
On the coin the ship sails from the logo of the Belgian shipping company.
The star is flanked on the left by the Antwerp skyline and on the right by that of New York.

About
Red Star Line (RSL) is a Belgian shipping company founded in 1872 by the amalgamation of the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belge-Américaine (SANBA or Public Limited Company for Belgian-American Shipping) on ​​the Antwerp side and the International Navigation Company on the American side.

Originally, the ships brought oil from America and took passengers back from Antwerp. From 1873 only passengers were transported in first, second and third class. In the beginning, RSL still sailed with sailing tankers such as the Vaderland. This steamship had three masts, a low superstructure and a funnel. It was not comfortable to make the crossing with this. The ship departed weekly (on Saturdays) from Antwerp to New York and later also from Antwerp to Philadelphia and vice versa. (Intermediate) stops in Liverpool and Southampton in the United Kingdom were also offered.

The glory days were in 1913; then Red Star Line transported more than 70,000 passengers in third class alone. In total, between 1873 and 1934, some two million emigrants made the crossing with Red Star Line. More than a quarter of them had a Jewish background.

Between 1872 and 1934 RSL had a fleet of approximately 55 ships. On average, a ship lasted 19 years. RSL generally gave its ships names ending in '–land'. From 1879, more passenger ships were used and travel comfort increased. Famous passengers who took one way or round trips included: Irving Berlin (1893), Eleanor Roosevelt (1929), Douglas Fairbanks (1931) and Albert Einstein (1930 and 1933).

The shipping company did not survive the effects of the stock market crash of 1929 and was declared bankrupt in 1935. The last two remaining ships moved to Rotterdam and were used for the Holland-America Line .

Today, the history of the Red Star Line is kept alive by the museum of the same name in Antwerp. The museum is located in the old pavilions of the Red Star Line near the port of Antwerp. It opened on September 28, 2013. The main design within the museum is the stories of RSL's passengers who have traveled to America or Canada. Through six witness accounts, the visitor is guided from the travel agency in Warsaw to the new life in America. In this way, one can get an impression of the difficult journey that an emigrant of the time had to make in order to hopefully find a better future. The exhibition also indicates the link between the past and the present, to indicate that migration is universal and timeless.

About Euro Collector Coins:
Euro 'Collection Coins' are coins issued by Individual Member States.
These coins can not have a face value of 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, €1, or €2.
They are legal tender within the issuing state.
The European Council concludes that other member states should also accept these coins (via their respective National Central Banks [transaction fee may apply]) thus effectively making them legal tender through the euro zone.