HORNREICH COLLECTION of U.S. & World Medal Plaques
Paul Wissaert
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Coin Details
| Origin/Country: |
Belgian Congo Brussels 1909 |
| Design Description: |
Bz Plaquette by P. Wissaert Congo |
| Item Description: |
Bronze 1909 By Paul Wissaert 1909 Belgium Bz Plaquette Return of Albert |
| Full Grade: |
MS 62 |
| Owner: |
Spencer Collection |
Owner Comments:
Medal, Plaquette, 1909, Bronze, Belgium Congo. RETURN OF PRINCE ALBERT FROM BELGIUM CONGO, by Medallist Paul Wissaert (1885-1972). LA JEUNESSE BRUXELLOISE AU PRINCE ALBERT A SON RETOUR D'AFRIQUE AOUT 1909. Size: 39mm x 70mm (Ref: Vancraenbroek 95). Obv. Young nude boy waving at a ship, legend below, Medallist signature at right edge; Rv. 2 avril 16 aout; map of Southwestern Europe and Africa. Attractive and Scarce. (Prince Albert's African Tour). Purchased from Hedley Betts. History: Following the death of his uncle, Leopold II, Albert succeeded to the Belgian throne in December 1909, since Albert's own father had already died in 1905. Previous Belgian kings had taken the royal accession oath only in French; Albert innovated by taking it in Dutch as well.[1] He and his wife, Queen Elisabeth, were popular in Belgium due to their simple, unassuming lifestyle and their harmonious family life, which stood in marked contrast to the aloof, autocratic manner and the irregular private life of Leopold II. An important aspect of the early years of Albert's reign was his institution of many reforms in the administration of the Belgian Congo, Belgium's only colonial possession.