Milestones in the coinage of the Netherlands

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The Netherlands is the main constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The main land is situated in western Europe. Since the Netherlands Antilles were dissolved in 2010, Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius became special overseas municipalities of the Netherlands. The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam. The Netherlands has 17 million inhabitants. The de-facto official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, there are also several official local languages: Frisian (Friesland; a province in the north of the Netherlands), English (St Eustatius and Saba) and Papiamento (Bonaire). Papiamento is a creole language that incorporates words from Portuguese, West African languages, Dutch and Spanish. The current head of state of the Netherlands is King Willem-Alexander.

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The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam.

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The coat of arms of the Netherlands consists of a crowned shield with a lion on it who holds a sword and seven arrows (referring to the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht). Furthermore there are 2 supporting lions and a scroll with the motto "Je Maintiendrai" (I will maintain).

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Flag of the Netherlands. Variants of it have been in use since 1572 which makes it one of the oldest national flags. The only exception to this was from 1810 until 1813 when the Netherlands was a part of France and so used the French flag. Originally the first band was orange but this was changed in the 17th century.

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Following the Congress of Vienna, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands came into being in 1815. The kingdom consisted of what we now know as the Netherlands and Belgium. There was also a personal union between the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The first coin was issued in 1816. The coin has a face value of 2,5 guilders and is known as 'silver rijksdaalder' or 'silver ducat'. The obverse depicts a knight holding a sword and a cord with the coat of arms of the province of Utrecht attached to it. Around the edge the abbreviations of Moneta Nova Argenta Provinciarum Belgii can be seen. This latin phrase means "New silver coin of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands". On the reverse the crowned coat of arms of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands can be seen. Around the edge Concordia Res Parvae Crescunt can be seen, which means "Unity makes strength". The coin was minted at the Royal Dutch Mint for trade in the Baltic states.

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In 1818 the United Kingdom of the Netherlands started the issuance of its first series of coins. It is important to note that the 2,5 guilder coin that was issued in 1816 remained in use as well as the provincial coinage from before the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was founded.

In 1818 the pieces of 5 cent, 1/2 gulden, 1 gulden and 3 gulden were issued and in 1819 the series was completed with the introduction of the 1/2 cent, 1 cent, 10 cent and 25 cent coins. Interestingly, besides the abbreviated 'c.' for cent, these lower denominations don't have any words on them. All of the coins were minted at both the Royal Dutch Mint in Utrecht and Royal Mint of Belgium in Brussels.

The 1/2 cent and 1 cent coins depict the crowned letter W (referring to King William I) on the obverse and the crowned coat of arms of the Netherlands on the reverse. These designs were made by David van der Kellen Sr.

The 5, 10 and 25 cent coins depict a more stylised crowned letter W on the obverse and the crowned coat of arms of the Netherlands on the reverse. These designs were also made by David van der Kellen Sr.

The 1/2 guilder, 1 guilder and 3 guilder coins depict a portrait of King William I facing right on the obverse as well as the sentence Willem Koning der Ned.G.H.V.L. which translates to "William, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg". On the reverse the crowned coat of arms of the Netherlands can be seen with the lettering Munt van het Koningryk der Nederlanden, which translates to "Coin of the Kingdom of the Netherlands". Under the portrait an anchor and a roman oil lamp can be seen which refer to the engraver of the coin, Auguste-François Michaut. His name is also included on the coin.

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The 1/2 cent coin.

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The 1 cent coin.

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The 5 cent coin.

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The 10 cent coin.

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The 25 cent coin.

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The 1/2 guilder coin.

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The 1 guilder coin.

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The 3 guilder coin.