50 Kronen - Broechem/Ranst/Emblem/Oelegem

The origin of Philippe le Roy, lord of Broechem-Oelegem, Ravels and Eel.
The le Roy family counts in its posterity some notable celebrities.
Especially Philippe le Roy, the diplomat with all kinds of high positions in the Spanish government, and Jacques III le Roy his son, the historiographer, as the author of the so-called “castle books” for which he engaged the best artist of his time for the drawings and copper engravings.
One of the many forgotten historical figures who managed to shape our regions through their diplomatic efforts is certainly Philippe le Roy.
This seventeenth-century Brabander who, thanks to his shrewdness and ingenuity, was in the service of the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs, was one of the founders of the Peace of Münster in 1648.
This put an end to the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Northern Netherlands.
 
Due to the diplomatic success that he acquired, his contacts at the Court in Brussels, where he established himself in the Isabellestraat, among other places, he owned various lordships, castles such as those of Broechem-Oelegem, Ravels-Eel and Sint-Lambertskapelle, in Varent, etc. .
Let us not forget that in the 17th century his family belonged to the prominent Antwerp families, mainly because of his economic activities that he inherited from his father: the production of “poyer” that he supplied to the Spanish armies, but also beyond.
He thus amassed fortunes which enabled him to acquire these many properties.
 
In the opus master; “Notitia Marchionatus…” by his son Jacques, he mentions that his father preferred to reside in rural Broechem. He therefore had a new, classical castle built on the foundations of the old castle. He liked to stay in small Broechem, especially in summer, where he also died on 5 December 1679 and was buried there in front of the high altar next to his wife, Marie de Raet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Municipal tokens were born in Flanders in 1980.
The first that came into circulation was the 25 Franc of Leuven and was given the name "Lovenaar".
The city of Leuven had launched the idea that a medal could/should be minted for the city.
This was valid for a limited time and only exchangeable at the local dealers.
Most coins went straight into the collection of numismatists or private individuals who thought it was a nice must-have.
Due to the law of supply and demand, the value of this occasional coin rose rapidly
and reached a value of around 1,000 Francs (= 25 EUR) in a short time.
As a result, few coins returned to the city treasury.
Soon the "Lovenaar" was imitated in other cities and municipalities that also saw their chance to generate extra income.
A few months later, Ghent struck 2 pennies (Gravensteen & St. Baafsabdij).
In the same period, a few 25 Francs coins were minted for the coastal cities and the West Flemish interior.
More and more cities and towns had seen an additional source of income in minting such. The material from which they were made and the cost of striking them was low, and few tokens were returned.
= Pure profit for the City Treasury!
Then began what everyone had feared... An issue of masses of new tokens.
Whereas in the beginning a new one was only issued every 2 months, commemorative tokens appeared in the streets in many municipalities.
At its peak in 1981, sometimes 3 new ones came out a week…
As if that were not enough, the amount of the token was increased from 25 francs to 50 francs, in 1981 the price was already 100 francs.
The cost of minting the tokens remained the same, but the profit for municipalities and cities was suddenly much higher.
Many collectors dropped out because of too expensive and too many different issues.
Local clubs and organizations of local fairs and parties had suddenly seen an extra source of income. They also started to mint coins en masse, albeit sometimes in limited issues, so that the issue price remained the same, but its value increased rapidly due to its rarity. Again the big profit went to the clubs because again, following the example of the cities and municipalities, almost no coins were brought in. In 1981, sometimes up to 20 new pieces were issued in a month. As a result, even more collectors dropped out.
At the end of 1981, almost no new issues were recorded and the world of municipal tokens actually collapsed.
I would like to add here that each and every one of the coins were gems in terms of images. In the municipality of Tubize, for example, a coin with the portrait of Maria Thérésia was issued. If you don't look at the alloy you would think you are holding a coin from the Austrian period.
Due to the discontinuation of their collection by many numismatists at the time and the no longer issuing such commemorative coins, the interest and therefore also the value of the coins has fallen sharply. Many young collectors are not familiar with these coins and their underlying story.
What is striking is that the interest has increased again in recent years. Many collectors look for such coins because the cost is usually low and the images are very beautiful. The disadvantage is that the alloy (steel) usually starts to rust quickly due to damp conditions and it becomes difficult to find these coins in beautiful condition.