Netherlands 2013: 1 Dollar coin

[Tremissis]

A 1 Dollar coin will be issued this year for Caribisch Nederland consisting of the Carribean Islands of Bonaire, Sint-Eustatius and Saba. Don't mistake it for the former Netherlands Antilles or the Dutch Carribean which consist of 3 small Island countries within the Kingdom of The Netherlands: Aruba, Curacao and Sint-Maarten).

It celebrates Queen Beatrix's abdication and King Willem-Alexander's investiture. The coin will look much like the Dutch commemorative 2 Euro abdication coin.

There will be a rare silver Dollar (mintage 1000) limited to a coin set. A picture can be found http://www.knm.nl/Koninklijke-Zilverset-2013/nl/product/3565/).

The Royal Dutch Mint have informed me that a circulation version will be issued on the Islands as well this year but the date of issue and further specifics are unknown yet. I presume they will be very much like that of the 2011 coin (http://www.knm.nl/BES-Dollar-2011-Messing-BU/nl/product/1172/)

Michael

[Prosit]

Aruba, Curacao and Sint-Maarten (and St Martin) are on my list to visit in 2014  I need to research what coins I need and work on that.
Dale

[Illioplius]

So this 1 dollar coin is legal tender United States dollar issued by the Netherlands? Really? If so, where exactly is it legal tender?

[<k>]

From one of my other posts:

"The following three special municipalities of the Netherlands have opted to use the US dollar instead of the euro:

1] Bonaire

2] Saba

3] Sint Eustatius

N.B. These three municipalities were formerly part of the Associated Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles, which used the Netherlands Antilles gulden (or guilder) and was dissolved on 10th October 2010. They chose to become municipalities of the Netherlands in preference to independence."

So the 3 islands (or BES, as they are known), have decided to issue a commemorative dollar, a collector coin only, which is only legal tender on the islands. It is an anomalous situation: they are politically part of the Netherlands but use the US dollar - not the euro.

[Tremissis]

So the 3 islands (or BES, as they are known), have decided to issue a commemorative dollar, a collector coin only, which is only legal tender on the islands.

Don't think coin issues are decided on municipal level. The municipalities are governed by the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland (governmental department Carribean Netherlands). Strangely enough BES is used on the Dollar coins whereas Caribisch Nederland is used on the post stamps.

The 2011 Dollar is not much of a commemorative coin, nor is it a collector's coin only. Mintage of 50.000 was rather high for "3 small villages" and the coin - depicting the 3 Islands plus their characteristic birds - just reads "Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba". Seems it was meant to be a circulation coin from the very beginning and commemorates little apart from simply being a Dollar. The 2011 coin was introduced just like the legal tender 5 Euro coins in The Netherlands where one can buy one for 5 EUR: one could buy one for 1 USD. But unlike the Dutch commemoratives they are (or were?) actually used. Just look at some posts here: http://www.bonairetalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-70640.html

[<k>]

Complex but interesting! Thanks for the link.

[Tremissis]

Yes, it is a bit of weird coin. It is mentioned on the site of the Nederlandsche Bank (The Dutch Central Bank) where they state that:

De "BES-dollar" is via de banken in omloop gebracht
"The BES-Dollar was put into circulation through the Banks (on the islands)"

There it also says:

Er zijn buiten de Verenigde Staten nog zeven andere landen die de US/dollar als wettig betaalmiddel gebruiken. Een aantal van deze zeven landen, zoals Ecuador, slaat zijn eigen dollarmunten. Deze munten zijn alleen geldig in het land van uitgifte.
"Outside the USA there are seven other countries that use the USD as legal tender. A number of these seven countries, e.g. Ecuador, mints their own Dollar coins. These are legal tender only in the coutries they were issued."

Source http://www.cn.dnb.nl/nl/betalingsverkeer/keuze_voor_de_dollar/dollarmunten

Seems others are minting "weird" Dollars too. Did not know that. Must have a look at such an Ecuadorian Dollar coin some time. 

[Tremissis]

The new 1 Dollar circulation coin commemorating the succession to the throne has now been introduced to the Carribean Netherlands. The coins were distributed via banks on the Islands.

For a source with info, specifics and a picture of the Dollar coin (the silver version; the circulation coin looks exactly the same) see:

http://www.sabanews.nl/0_wordpress/royal-mint-issues-special-bes-dollar/

The side with denomination is identical to the 2011 coin.

[Tremissis]

There seems to be no photo of this coin on the internet so far at all (only see graphic images). So, here's a "live specimen".

[sony]

Hello,

is this Coin from 2013 circulated on islands?

Please let me know.

[eurocoin]

Hello,

is this Coin from 2013 circulated on islands?

Please let me know.

The piece was circulated on the islands but it is a token, not a legal tender coin.

[sony]

So you can buy some stuff with that token? Spend it in stores?

Thank you for answers.

[Pabitra]

It's physical specifications are identical to US 1 Dollar coins hence it would work on vending machines which accept USD coins.