4 pieces of "Monnaie obsidionale" from the Siege of Antwerp of 1814.

Bronze & copper, Ø 3,5 cm (3 pcs) and 3 cm (1).

In very good condition.

Very rare coins minted and used during the Siege of Antwerp (14 January - 3 May 1814) to quickly remedy the shortage of small coinage during the siege. Three pieces of 10 cent, one piece of 5 cent. Two pieces with an "N" inside a laurel wreath, referring to Napoleon, and two pieces with a royal monogram "L", referring to Louis XVIII, the newly crowned King of France. After his disastrous retreat from Russia in 1813, Napoleon was pushed back over the Rhine. While two armies marched on Paris, one isolated army entered the Low Countries. With Lazare Carnot as governor of Antwerp, the fortified city and citadel were besieged for more than 3 months by British and Prussian troops, until the day of the armistice after the abdication of Napoleon. The obsidional coins of 5 or 10 cent were minted out of bronze of cannons or red copper (or a mix of the two) following decrees of 10 and 16 March 1814.