2845) SABENA (National Airline Carrier), Belgium: Centenary Celebrations - 1923-2023): The Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) in association with the Royal Belgian Mint (RBM) has minted a 20 Euro Silver Crown Coin which marks the centenary of the founding of the country’s first airline carrier: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023:
The Header/Banner shows the Obverse and Reverse of the 20 Euro Silver Crown Coin against a background image of a Sabena passenger BOEING Jet Airliner flying on its route. The logo of Sabena is at lower right.
The Royal Mint of Belgium has issued Collector Silver Coins which mark the centenary anniversary of the founding of the national airline carrier "SABENA" (acronym for - "Societé Anonyme Belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation Aérienne"), the National Airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its corporate headquarters located in SABENA House on the grounds of Brussels Airport in Zaventem.
The airline carrier was founded on the 23.05.1923 by the “Father of Belgian Aviation,” Georges Nélis (1886–1929), with additional help from Belgian King Albert I.
The airline was created by the Belgian government after its predecessor "SNETA" ("Syndicat National pour l'étude des Transports Aériens," - National Syndicate for the Study of Aerial Transports) - formed in 1919 to pioneer commercial aviation in Belgium - ceased operations.
Sabena operated its first commercial flight from Haren Brussels to London (UK) on 01.07.1923, via Ostend. Services to Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Strasbourg (France) were launched on 01.04.1924 (the airline’s first paying flight, with a stop-over at Brussels).
Later that year, SABENA operated regularly scheduled routes to London, Bremen, and Copenhagen.
When SABENA was created, the airline was partly funded by Belgians in the Belgian Congo colony who had lost their air service, an experimental passenger and cargo company (LARA) between Léopoldville, Lisala, and Stanleyville a year earlier. They expected the new Belgian national airline to fill this gap.
On 12.02.1925, Sabena pioneered a long haul across Africa to Leopoldville, capital of the Belgian Congo, operating cargo and limited passenger services to destinations such as Kinshasha, Lisala and Stanleyville in the Belgian Congo.
Throughout its history, Sabena had a long tradition of service to African destinations and for a long time, these were the only profitable routes served by the airline.
By 1931 SABENA’s fleet, including the aircraft used on the Congo network, totalled 43 aircraft, with their long-haul flight to the Congo taking just five and a half days from the previous eight.
The airline’s pre-war routes covered almost 6,000 kilometres (3,700) miles within Europe alone.
By the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, SABENA’s fleet was regarded as one of the most sophisticated and varied. Unfortunately, as fighting broke out, all passenger and most cargo flights were seized until 1946.
One year later, SABENA launched a new route across the Atlantic to New York with Douglas DC-6Bs in service, and in just ten years, the DC-7C model “Seven Seas” was introduced for long-haul routes, shortly ushering in the jet age.
Despite the many innovations and reputation for excellence, the iconic brand was lost owing to a combination of bad debts and the attack in the United States on 09.09.2001 on the World Trade Centre.
Many Airlines depending on trans-Atlantic flights were forced to cease operations and SABENA was one of them, filing for legal protection against their creditors on 03.10.2001 the same year.
SABENA went into final liquidation in November 2001 ending almost eighty years of Belgian aviation history and service.
However, even though SABENA airplanes are no longer a familiar sight in the skies, their participation and familiar logo are still fondly remembered by travellers and aviation aficionados alike.
The Coin:
The coin has been minted by the Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) at its facilities in Houten, Netherlands, in association with the Royal Belgian Mint.
The Reverse of the 20 Euro Silver Crown Coin depicts a representation of a SABENA Airbus A340-211 flying around the globe.
On the lower right is an image of both the last "SABENA logo" along with the “sky bird” insignia designed by Belgian artist René Magritte, especially for the company.
The inscriptions are - "Sabena" and "ANS 100 JAAR" ("100 Year Anniversary") on the lower right section.
The Obverse of the 20 Euro Silver Crown Coin depicts an effigy of King Philip designed by Royal Belgian Mint artisan Luc Luycx, facing right along with his crowned monogram placed to the right and the peripheral text which reads - "BELGIE – BELGIQUE – BELGIEN" (representing the official three languages of Belgium).
The denomination "20 EURO" is placed below the primary design inscribed along with the year of issue "2023" in a vertical direction.
The specification of the Silver Proof Coin are:
Country of issue: Belgium; Date/Year: 2023; Coin Theme: "SABENA AIRLINES - the National Carrier of Belgium - 1923-2001”; Occasion: "Centenary Anniversary - 1923-2023"; Denomination/Face Value: 20 Euro; Metal Composition: .925 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 22.80 grams; Diameter/Size: 37.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P); Mint: Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) at its facilities in Houten, Netherlands, in association with the Royal Belgian Mint; Mintage: 2,500 pieces; Designer: Iris Bruijns.
- Each coin is encapsulated and presented in a Custom Case and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
5) City of Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium: 20 Years as UNENCO World Heritage Site: A 20 Euro Silver Proof Coin issued by the Royakl Dutch Mint under licencing of the Royal Belgian Mint, on behalf of the National Bank of Belgium: Coin issue date: 26.02.2020
6) 100 Years of Nature & Environment Protection, Luxembourg: Commemorating the Centenary Anniversary of the "Letzebuerger Natur a Vulleschutsliga a.s.b.l. (Luxembourg Nature and Bird Protection Society):A 0.80 Euro Stamp issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Date of stamp issue: 10.03.2020
7) Celebrating 25 Years of listing on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Luxembourg: A Commemorative Stamp of 0.80 Euro issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Stamp issue date: 10.03.2020
Links:
For other interesting posts on issues from the Royal Dutch Mint, Netherlands and PostNL, please visit the following links:
For interesting posts from the Caribbean Netherlands on this blog:
Posts on SEPAC issues on this blog:
Posts on Finland on this Blog:
Posts on Sweden:
Dutch Castles Coin Series:
Links:
The undernoted two links will take you to our blog "Footloose" for two interesting posts written by me on the Dutch presence in Sadras in the 17th Century AD:
5) City of Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium: 20 Years as UNENCO World Heritage Site: A 20 Euro Silver Proof Coin issued by the Royakl Dutch Mint under licencing of the Royal Belgian Mint, on behalf of the National Bank of Belgium: Coin issue date: 26.02.2020
6) 100 Years of Nature & Environment Protection, Luxembourg: Commemorating the Centenary Anniversary of the "Letzebuerger Natur a Vulleschutsliga a.s.b.l. (Luxembourg Nature and Bird Protection Society):A 0.80 Euro Stamp issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Date of stamp issue: 10.03.2020
7) Celebrating 25 Years of listing on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Luxembourg: A Commemorative Stamp of 0.80 Euro issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Stamp issue date: 10.03.2020
Posts on SEPAC issues on this blog:
Links to Posts on Turks and Caicos Islands:
Posts on Aruba on this blog:
Links to Posts on Curacao on this Blog:
For some other interesting posts on Currencies of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, please visit the following links:
18) Sea Motifs, Bahamas: Gold Bullion Coins in the denominations of 100 Dollars (depicting a Blue Marlin) and 250 Dollars (depicting a Conch Shell): Coins issue date: 03.12.2019
19) A new Generation $100 Polymer Banknote, Trinidad and Tobago with enhanced security features to "raise the bar" for counterfeiters & unscrupulous elements: Banknote circulation date: 09.12.2019:
20) Festival di Tumba (Carnival of Curacao), Curacao: "50th Edition of the Curacao Carnival/Festival" held from 27-31.01.2020: A set of six Commemorative Postage Stamps brought out by Cpost (Curacao Post) on 20.02.2020
21) New Polymer Banknotes, Trinidad and Tobago: The entire series will consist of $100, $50, $20, $10, $5 and $1 denominations: $100 has already been issued on 09.12.2019
23) "Caribbean Sea-Horse", Barbados: $10 (Ten Dollars) 1.0 Oz. Gold Bullion Coins & $1 (One Dollar) 1.0 Oz. Silver Bullion Coins minted by the Scottsdale Mint; Year of issue: 2020
24) Cayman Islands, A British Overseas Territory (BOT): A set of identically numbered Banknotes of the presently circulating Banknotes from the "D" Series of Banknotes
Links to some other interesting posts from South American countries & Mexico:
26) A new 100 Boliviano Banknote from Bolivia: issued by the "Banco Centrale de Bolivia" (Central Bank of Bolivia) on 15.01.2019 under its new 2018 Banknote Series
27) Central Bank of Uruguay ("Banco Centrale del Uruguay"): 50th Anniversary (Golden Jubilee) - 1967-2017 - celebrated with the issue of a 50 Peso Commemorative Banknote on 14.09.2018
Links to Posts on Curacao on this Blog:
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