Milestones in the coinage of the Netherlands

[eurocoin]

On 15 January 1960, the pre-war silver 10 cent coin was demonetized.

[eurocoin]

In 1980, Beatrix became queen of the Netherlands after the abdication of her mother, Juliana. A completely new series of coins was issued. A design competition was held for invited artists which was won by industrial artist Bruno Ninaber-Van Eyben. Certainly in the beginning the series was very unpopular and several of the political parties tried to urge the State Secretary for Finance to choose other designs. One day after the designs were unveiled, the Dutch parliament also voted in favour of a motion in which was being asked for the minting to be stopped with immediate effect, untill more conversations had taken place. Both attempts were to no avail.

The designs represent the deployment of the Dutch polder landscape as well as a graphical representation of the decimal system in which each denomination is a certain part of a cube which is divided in equal blocks. The design also represents the Netherlands as an industrialised, modern and well-organized country. The artist also thought that the different patterns on the coins would be handy for blind people to recognize the coins, although it was only a side issue. Organisations for the blind soon complained the designs were to no use for them.

[eurocoin]

The 5 cent coin.

[eurocoin]

The 10 cent coin.

[eurocoin]

The 25 cent coin.

[eurocoin]

The 1 guilder coin.

[eurocoin]

The 2,5 guilder coin.

[eurocoin]

The 1 cent coin, which was already left out in the new coin series of 1980, was demonetized on 1 March 1983.

[eurocoin]

In 1988, a coin of 5 guilder was introduced. It replaced the 5 guilder note which had to be replaced as it wore faster than expected. Like the rest of the series, this piece was also designed by Bruno Ninaber-Van Eyben. The coin is made out of bronze plated nickel. It has a reeded edge which is inscribed with "God zij met ons" (God be with us).

[eurocoin]

On January 1, 2002 the Netherlands joined the Eurozone and so abandoned the guilder which had been its currency from the first day of the existence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

[eurocoin]

To post comments, criticisms, amendments etc. regarding this topic, please click on the link below:

Comments on: "Milestones in the coinage of the Netherlands"

[<k>]

See also:

1] Milestones in the coinage of Aruba.

2] Milestones in the coinage of Curaçao and Dependencies.

3] Milestones in the coinage of the Netherlands Antilles.

[eurocoin]

On January 1, 2002 the Netherlands joined the Eurozone and so abandoned the guilder which had been its currency from the first day of the existence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Minting of the new coins had started in 1998 but the dates on the coins start with 1999. In the early years some of the coins were minted at the Birmingham Mint. All other coins were minted at the Royal Dutch Mint.

The obverse of the Dutch euro coins was designed by Bruno Ninaber-Van Eyben who won a design competition. He had earlier also made the designs for the last series of guilder coins. The 1c-50c coins depict an abstract portrait of Queen Beatrix surrounded by smaller stars. The design is encircled by 12 larger stars, representing the 12 first countries to join the eurozone. He found these larger stars, which he was mandatory to incorporate, very dominant. They reminded him of barbed wire. Therefore he added many smaller stars to make it look like a cosmos representing the European Union with Queen Beatrix at its center. The 1 and 2 euro coins depict the same portrait that was used on the guilder coins.

The reverse was designed by Luc Luycx, a Belgian artist who works for the Royal Mint of Belgium. His design depicts the map of Europe as well as the denomination of the coin. It is being used as the reverse design on the coins of all countries in the Eurozone and on these of the mini states.

[eurocoin]

The 1 euro cent coin.

[eurocoin]

The 2 euro cent coin.