Antwerp Rubens 1977 coin

History of the 1977 Antwerp Rubens Gold Coin

The 1977 Golden Rubens Year commemorative coin weighs 6.45 grams and has a purity of 90%, 21.6 karats, or 5.805 grams of pure gold, ⅛ ounces (Oz). The coin has a diameter of 21 mm and a thickness of 1.3 mm. This coin was issued to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the birth of the famous Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens.

But let's take a closer look at the coin:

The Rubens gold coin, issued in 1977 in Antwerp, is a magnificent commemorative coin from the Royal Mint of Belgium. This coin was created to honor the 400th anniversary of the birth of the famous Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens. With a diameter of just 21 millimeters and a thickness of 1.3 millimeters, it is easy to handle for both collectors and investors. It contains about 5.8 grams of pure gold (90% gold), which makes it quite valuable, depending on the price of gold on the world market.

The obverse of the coin features an image of Rubens, with the text "Rubens Year 1977" below it. On the reverse, “Antwerp” appears at the bottom, with a crown and a castle above it, flanked by two hands—one on the left and one on the right. These hands refer to the legend of the giant Druon Antigoon and the origin of the name “Antwerp.”

According to legend, there once lived a giant named Druon Antigoon on the banks of the Scheldt, the river that flows through Antwerp. This giant demanded a toll from the boatmen who wanted to cross the river and chopped off the hands of those who refused to pay. He then threw those hands into the river. But one day, a brave Roman soldier named Silvius Brabo came along, defeated the giant, cut off his hand, and threw it into the Scheldt, just as the giant had done to his victims. And that is said to be the origin of the name “Antwerp,” from “throwing a hand.”

In Antwerp, those little hands can be found everywhere as a symbol. You see them in statues, incorporated into the architecture, and even as a well-known cookie shaped like a hand—a delicious reminder of this legend. In short, the little hands are an important cultural symbol that reflects Antwerp’s rich history and identity.

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