1980 Dutch BU Set (With a Mint Token)

Started by Bimat, February 10, 2013, 07:50:08 AM

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Bimat

I couldn't resist buying this Dutch BU set when I was offered (for something like $4) last month. I was particularly interested in the 2½ Gulden coin which I didn't have. When I bought it, I didn't realize that it has a mint token too, so when I received it earlier this week, it was a pleasant surprise for me too! :)

The set has 6 coins: 1c, 5c, 10c, 25c, 1G and 2½ G and a mint token. I'll try to get a better quality picture of the set (and the token). The 1c and 5c coins have started showing some kind of toning (quite possible, these coins have spent 33 years in this wallet!)

Reverse:



Obverse:



Aditya
It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J. K. Rowling.

THCoins

With that price, that seems a real bargain. Even here in Amsterdam you would pay more (but not much as the sets are not rare and frequently offered on the market here). You can even still order the set directly from the mint.

Figleaf

Significantly, you can also find the mint medals easily: the early sets were often enough taken out of their packaging.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Bimat

Thanks THCoins and Figleaf! I agree that these sets are not hard to find or expensive..All these coins and a mint medal for $4.25 is indeed a bargain so I'm very very happy. ;D

Quick question: Did those  2½ G coins circulate? Not a very common denomination we see in modern world. ;)

Aditya
It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J. K. Rowling.

THCoins

Yes, the 2.5 gulden coins were used in daily life. At the time that also seemed very normal.

Below the gulden denomination and above the 10 ct there was the 25 ct coin (kwartje).
And above the gulden there were the 2.5 gulden (rijksdaalder) and (for only some years) 5 gulden coin.

For a lot of people is was harder to get used to the new 20 ct and 2 Euro coin after the introduction of this. 

chrisild

Side note: The Netherlands also had 2½ cent coins (until WW2), and 25 and 250 gulden notes (until the euro cash came). Being from DE, denominations such as the kwartje or the rijksdaalder I found "odd" first, mostly when I wanted to quickly check the change I would get back at a store. During a 1 or 2 week vacation, you get used to it. But a day trip ... hehe.

Christian

Figleaf

Blame the ordinance of Medina del Campo of 13th june 1497. This regulation created a system base on the copper maravedi, but dominated by a large silver piece of 8 pesos, with subdivisions of 4, 2, 1 and sometimes half and quarter pesos. The Habsburgs tried to introduce the system in their "Flemish inheritance".

Ultimately, this led to a pre-decimal system that, for small transactions was based on the stuiver of 8 duiten (coins of 2 and 1 stuiver, half stuiver, double duit, duit, half and quarter duit). The unit for large transactions was the rijksdaalder of 50 stuiver until 1672 and the gulden of 20 stuiver afterwards (skipping many details here).

The gulden of 100 cent became the basic unit at decimalisation. The rijksdaalder remained, but was expressed as 2-1/2 gulden (skipping detail again, the important point is that the value relation between rijksdaalder and gulden was unchanged). Half and quarter gulden pieces were known before decimalisation, which explains the 25 cent. The pre-decimal double stuiver became 10 cent, the stuiver 5 cent and the half stuiver 2-1/2 cent, a mere name change - but in practice people kept using the old names. Therefore, the only really new denominations introduced at decimalisation were the cent and half cent (except for gold.)

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Bimat

#7
Thanks Peter, that's very useful information for beginners like me! :) I do intend to get more such mint tokens/medals after getting this one! 8)

I have one more BU set to show (not Dutch) which I'll do in next couple of days.. ;)

Aditya
It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J. K. Rowling.