100 Francs (John the Blind's death at the Battle of Crécy) – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Circulating commemorative coins
Commemoration: 600th Anniversary of the death of John the Blind in the battle of Crécy
Luxembourg
Context
Years: 1946–1964
Country: Luxembourg 
Issuer: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Ruler: Charlotte
Currency:
(1854—2001)
Demonetization: 1 July 1956
Total mintage: 100,000
Material
References
KM: #Click to copy to clipboard49
Numista: #12412
Value
Exchange value: 100 LUF
Bullion value: $58.52
Obverse
Description:
Left: Portrait of Prince Jean (1921–2019), Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Left shield bears the crowned arms of the Bourbons, right shield the arms of Luxembourg under a crested helmet. Engraver's initials below the neck. Surrounding legend in Luxembourgish with face value between dots in the exergue.
Inscription:
PRENZ•JEAN•VU•LETZEBURG
A.H.
•100 F.•
A.H.
•100 F.•
Translation:
Prince Jean of Luxembourg
A.H.
100 Francs
A.H.
100 Francs
Script: Latin
Languages: Luxembourgish, German
Engraver: Armand Bonnetain
Reverse
Description:
A warrior (John the Blind) rides right, wearing a crested helmet, wielding a sword and a shield with Luxembourg's arms. A banner with his motto is behind him. The legend surrounds the design, with the engraver's name at 5 o'clock, and John the Blind's death date and the coin's issue date below.
Inscription:
•JANG•DE•BLANNEN•
SERVIAM
26-VIII-
1346 - 1946
BONNETAIN
SERVIAM
26-VIII-
1346 - 1946
BONNETAIN
Translation:
JANG DE BLANNEN
I WILL SERVE
26 AUGUST
1346 - 1946
BONNETAIN
I WILL SERVE
26 AUGUST
1346 - 1946
BONNETAIN
Script: Latin
Engraver: Armand Bonnetain
Edge
Milled
Mints
| Name | Mark |
|---|---|
| Royal Mint of Belgium | — |
Mintings
| Year | Mint Mark | Mintage | Quality | Collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | — | 98,000 | ||
| 1964 | — | 2,000 |
Historical background
In 1946, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was navigating a complex post-war monetary landscape, fundamentally shaped by the Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) established in 1921. This union meant that the Luxembourg franc was pegged at par to the Belgian franc, and Belgian banknotes were legal tender within Luxembourg. However, the war had severely disrupted this system. The German occupation (1940-1944) had forcibly replaced the franc with the Reichsmark, and the subsequent liberation brought a period of monetary confusion with Allied military currency and old Belgian notes circulating alongside new issues.
The immediate post-war priority was monetary stabilization and the reassertion of sovereign control. In 1944, the Luxembourg government introduced a new national franc, but its circulation was limited and it coexisted with the still-dominant Belgian franc. By 1946, the key challenge was not a unique Luxembourg currency crisis, but rather managing inflation and economic reconstruction within the constraints of the BLEU. Luxembourg's monetary policy was largely dictated by decisions made in Brussels, as the two countries worked to harmonize their post-war recovery, including a major devaluation of the Belgian (and thus Luxembourg) franc against the US dollar in December 1945 to boost exports.
Therefore, the currency situation in Luxembourg in 1946 was one of dependent stability. The country did not face hyperinflation or a collapsed independent currency, thanks to the BLEU framework which anchored its franc to Belgium's recovering economy. The focus was on using this stable, if externally influenced, monetary base to facilitate national reconstruction, rebuild shattered infrastructure, and restore industrial production, particularly in the vital steel sector, within a broader Benelux and European recovery context.
The immediate post-war priority was monetary stabilization and the reassertion of sovereign control. In 1944, the Luxembourg government introduced a new national franc, but its circulation was limited and it coexisted with the still-dominant Belgian franc. By 1946, the key challenge was not a unique Luxembourg currency crisis, but rather managing inflation and economic reconstruction within the constraints of the BLEU. Luxembourg's monetary policy was largely dictated by decisions made in Brussels, as the two countries worked to harmonize their post-war recovery, including a major devaluation of the Belgian (and thus Luxembourg) franc against the US dollar in December 1945 to boost exports.
Therefore, the currency situation in Luxembourg in 1946 was one of dependent stability. The country did not face hyperinflation or a collapsed independent currency, thanks to the BLEU framework which anchored its franc to Belgium's recovering economy. The focus was on using this stable, if externally influenced, monetary base to facilitate national reconstruction, rebuild shattered infrastructure, and restore industrial production, particularly in the vital steel sector, within a broader Benelux and European recovery context.
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