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 For 50th Anniversary of Dutch Kingdom's Constitution, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba Join to Issue Gold and Silver Commemoratives
One Kingdom with three coin-issuing states results in euros, guilders and florins
Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles were Dutch colonies for about three centuries. This all changed in 1954 when under the terms of a new agreement they became self-governing states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The "Koninkrijksstatuut" is best translated as the "state charter," the constitution governing the relationship between the states comprising the Dutch Kingdom. (It should not be confused with the laws governing the affairs and actions of the provinces of the Netherlands.) When it was signed in 1954, the parties to the accord were the colonies of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao. Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Martin. Suriname became an independent nation in 1975 and Aruba attained separate status as a state within the Kingdom in 1986.
Although the Netherlands changed its currency over to the euro in 2002, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles held to tradition and kept their old monies of account, the florin and the guilder. Each of the three states is issuing a gold and a silver coin commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Koninkrijksstatuut. They are identical in their technical specifications:
The gold pieces of 10 euros, guilders and florins are identical to the old Netherlands 10 guilder, with a diameter of 22.5 mm and a weight of 6.72 grams of .900 fine gold. Authorized mintage in proof quality is 5,000 for the issue of the Netherlands and 1,000 for each of the other two states. Their issue price is $189.00 each. The silver ones (5 euros, guilders and florins) are .925 (sterling) silver, weigh 11.9 grams and are 29 mm in diameter. Mintage is said to be 30,000 for the Netherlands and 4,000 each for the others. They cost $36.50 apiece, or $100.00 for a set of all three.
The Netherlands design is symbolic of the unity and diversity of the Kingdom. The obverse is similar in style to the last coin of Queen Juliana, the 2½ guilder of 1979 issued for the 400th anniversary of the Union of Utrecht. It conveys the message that the states speak in more than one language by rendering the legend around the portrait of Queen Beatrix, "Queen of the Netherlands," in Dutch, Papiamento and English. An orange branch, symbolic of the House of Orange as the unifying element of the Dutch community is shown on the reverse surrounded by the names of all three states. Collectors will recognize this from the old square 5 cent coins of the Netherlands as well as on the current Netherlands Antilles coinage.
Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles both chose traditional representations of Queen Beatrix for the obverse of their coins. Aruba's reverse has the great seal of the Kingdom as its main element as this was placed on the document after it was signed. The Netherlands Antilles coin shows three hands with pens symbolically working on the charter as they inscribe the word "Koninkrijksstatuut" in a triangle, the three sides of which symbolize unity, harmony and equality.
 Netherlands
Issues Gold and Silver Commemorative Euros on Sesquicentennial of
Birth of Vincent Van Gogh.
An unknown, unloved and unappreciated failure during his life
(he sold only one painting), Vincent van Gogh has become in death
virtually synonymous with the Netherlands. He is one of the country's
most recognized figures and by virtue of the museum that bears his
name, one of its greatest attractions. The Dutch State has chosen
to recognize the 150th anniversary of his birth on March 30, 1853
with gold and silver euro commemorative coins.
The 10 euro gold and 5 euro silver piece are identical in design
and are emblematic both of the recent Dutch tradition of unusual
coinage as well as of Van Gogh's characteristic Postimpressionist
style. Both sides make use of the placement and concentration of
a key word to simulate the slashing brush strokes from which the
artist created beauty out of a cacophony of light and color. On
the obverse, the head of Queen Beatrix is made of the words "KONINGEN
DER NEDERLANDEN" (Queen of the Netherlands). The name "VAN
GOGH" is used to the same effect on the reverse, where the
artist is seen as he is in one of his famous self-portraits.
The 10 euro coin has the same specifications as the old 10 guilder
gold piece (in Dutch "gouden tientje"): It weighs 6.72
grams, is .900 fine (21.6 kt) gold and is 22.5 mm in diameter. It
costs $155.00 (U.S.) in proof quality. The silver 5 euro is made
of .925 (sterling) silver, weighs 11.99 grams and is 29 mm (1.15")
in diameter. It is priced at $24.95 (U.S.) in proof-like quality.
The first strike of the coins was to be on Van Gogh's birthday,
March 30 Reservations are being accepted on a first-come, first-served
basis.
 400th
Anniversary of Netherlands East India Company is Focus
for Series of Six Euro Mint Sets with Silver Medals.
The United Netherlands East India Company
is synonymous with the Dutch Golden Age. Even today, its story remains
a highlight in Dutch history texts, while its coins with the Company's
famous VOC monogram are avidly collected the world over. To honor
the 400th anniversary of the Company's founding, the Batavian Coin
Company, in conjunction with the Royal Netherlands Mint is issuing
a series of six Brilliant Uncirculated Mint Sets, each containing
a different silver medal commemorating different aspects of the
VOC: 1) its creation, 2) its ships, 3) its trade routes, 4) its
exploits, 5) its commodities, and concluding the series, 6) its
money.
The sets are serially-numbered and limited
to 10,000, with advance subscription in the Netherlands already
accounting for reservations for more than 8,000 collections. Each
sterling silver medal is 30 mm in diameter, the same size as the
Dutch 10 euro coin. The eight euro coins in the sets will be dated
2002 for sets 1-4 and 2003 for the final two issues. The sets
will be released in two month intervals. Issue price is $23.95 per
set for the first five and $64.50 for the final one which contains
an original duit from the VOC and another medallion. Included with
delivery of the fourth set will be a case for the entire collection.
Subscribers to the entire series will only be charged the shipping
and handling fee of $4.50 once, with the initial shipment.
The Dutch East India Company is one of the
rare chapters in history in which a private entity assumed the role
of a government. After Dutch independence from Spain in 1579 and
with Spain's acquisition of the Portuguese crown, the Dutch needed
to replace the trade they had lost between Lisbon and northern Europe.
By the 1590's a number of private trading companies had a lively
trade in the coffee, tea, spices, indigo, sugar, mace, nutmeg, and
cloves of the Far East. The healthy competition, however, led to
not-so-healthy profits. To solve this, on March 20, 1602, the Verenigde
Oost-Indische Compagnie (V.O.C.) was formed as a union of smaller
companies from a number of Dutch cities. The States-General of the
Netherlands gave it more than just a monopoly on trade with the
Far East it also made it a regime unto itself with the right to
make treaties and alliances for the States-General, to build factories
and forts, and to man an army. It established Batavia on the island
of Java in 1619 and controlled commerce from Indonesia to Ceylon,
even establishing colonies in South Africa. It was not until September
1795 that the Company's holdings were transferred to the Dutch state.
  
Netherlands First-Ever Gold and Silver Euro Commemorative Coins
Issued in Honor of Royal Wedding
Gold 10 Euro Revives a Nineteenth Century Dutch Coining Tradition
The wedding of a Crown Prince is an event
that takes place only once in a generation. In the Netherlands,
that was on Saturday, February 2, 2002 when Queen Beatrixâ's
oldest son, Crown Prince Willem Alexander, said the words "Ja,
ik wil" (I do) and became the husband of Maxima Zorreguieta.
Among the many ways the Dutch commemorated the occasion was the
issue of the nation's first two Euro commemorative coins. The gold
and silver coins each have a face value of 10 Euros and are legal
tender in the Netherlands.
The design by Hans van Houwelingen is the
same on each coin, with both obverse and reverse designed slightly
off-center in order to give the appearance of greater depth. The
reverse is dedicated to the royal newlyweds and shows their facing
silhouettes. Above them are twelve stars representing the nations
of the European Union and the sun, Argentina's national symbol.
The sun and stars are also meant to impart a heavenly association
to the marriage. The legend around the coin has the wedding date
2-2-2002 written out in Dutch, the couple's names and the face value.
The obverse, as required by Dutch law, has a portrait of, Queen
Beatrix. The legend identifying the queen is engraved into the surface
of the coin rather than being raised letters. On the silver coin,
with specifications of .925 silver, 17.8 grams and 33 mm, the queen's
head faces left, but on the gold coin the Netherlands is returning
to a tradition dating to the nineteenth century and practiced until
1933, of having the portrait face in the opposite direction.
In fact, the 10 euro gold coin is also
identical in every respect except for its name to an old Dutch coin
the ever-popular 10 guilder gold piece (in Dutch "gouden tientje"):
It weighs 6.72 grams, is .900 fine gold and is 22.5 mm in diameter.
The practice of reversing the direction of the portrait on Dutch
gold coins evolved during the reign of King Willem I (1815-1840).
It was a response to the similarity in size between the 10 guilder
gold coin and the silver half guilder, so as to be a deterrent to
the gold-plating of the latter so it could be passed off as the
former. Although the threat is not the same as in earlier years,
the Netherlands is continuing the tradition on its first gold coin
since 1933 that is not struck on the ducat standard.
| The coins are struck in prooflike quality.
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| Prices: |
Silver |
$32.50 |
|
Gold |
$129.50 |
|
Set of two will |
$155.00 |
Netherlands Euro Sets 1999-2000-2001-2002.
For the first time in Dutch history, a different
Mintmaster's mark in multiple consecutive years.
After years of preparation and planning the Euro
is now a reality. In order to satisfy the initial demand for more
than 300 million coins, the Netherlands began producing euros in
1999. At that time, the decision was made that coins would bear
the year of manufacture and not the 2002 date of issue. As a result,
Dutch Euro sets with the dates 1999, 2000 and 2001 will be released
simultaneously. Each of the eight-coin sets (1, 2, 5, 10, 20
50 cents and 1 and 2 euros) are only $18.95 (plus $4.50 per order
for insured shipping and handling).
An interesting feature on them is that each year
has a different mintmaster's mark. The 1999 set has the bow and
arrow mark of Chris van Draanen, who led the mint for more than
a dozen years, was one of the leaders in the planning for the changeover,
and was the initiator of the idea to put different dates on the
coins. Upon his retirement, while the search was on for a new mintmaster,
the mark for 2000 was a bow and arrow with a star (to indicate an
interim mintmaster). The 2001 set has a bushel of grapes as the
mark of R. Bruens, whose tenure in Utrecht was one of the shortest
on record. Now that he has departed, it is likely that there will
be yet another (interim) mark in 2002, and then perhaps another
one for a new mintmaster in 2003! The 2002 sets will be ready in
Spring, 2002
Netherlands Follows Germany's Lead and Issues Goldgulden Version
of Circulating 1 Guilder Coin
Silver Specimen Also Available
While a standard coin-issuing policy for the member nations of
the European Union was only supposed to start with the issue of
the Euro on January 1, 2002, the Netherlands has adopted it a few
months earlier. Its newest issue is an echo and an expansion of
what its neighbor Germany did with its last 1 Deutschmark coin just
two months ago: It has produced the last Dutch guilder not only
in pure gold, as did Germany, but also in sterling silver. ("Guilder"
is the English translation of the Dutch denomination "gulden.")
The coins are identical to the circulating 1 guilder coin designed
in 1982 by Bruno Ninaber van Eyben. They are 25 mm (1 inch) in diameter
with a three-level profile of Queen Beatrix on the obverse and a
geometric representation of the denomination of the reverse. The
Goldgulden contains 13.2 grams of .999 gold and is limited to an
issue of 100,000 pieces. It is available for $189.50 (U.S.) The
Silver Gulden is .925 fine, weighs 13.2 grams and has a mintage
limit of 200,000 pieces. Its price is $17.50. Orders will be
accepted on a first come-first served basis, and because of the
limited issue and high demand the offer is subject to withdrawal
at any time.
Millenium Guilder Siver Coin.
Click on coin image for more details
| Price: |
Proof: $25.00 |
|
BU: $19.50 |
The Dutch Ducats
The oldest continuously issued coins in the world, in 2002 they
come in three versions: the annual Gold and Silver Ducats, and making
a rare appearance in 2002 - the Double Gold Ducat. All are, in proof
quality. First struck in 1586, the specifications and designs of
these coins have remained virtually unchanged for more than four
centuries.
|
Gold Ducat |
Double Gold Ducat |
| Size: |
21 mm |
26 mm |
| Weight |
3.494 grams |
6.988 grams |
| Purity |
.986 gold (23.7 kt) |
.986 gold (23.7 kt) |
| Price: |
$85.00 |
$150.00 |
| Set of two pieces: $225.00 |
The 2001 Silver Ducat.
Continuies a policy of using old silver ducats in the Dutch Mint
Museum as models for new coins.
Size: 40 mm
Weight: 28.25 grams
Purity: .873 silver
Mintage: Proof 12,500
Price: $47.50
Aruba Mint Set 2000-2001
We can't think of another coin set with not one, but two square
coins. In addition to the 50 cent and 5 florin there are 5 normal
round coins as well.
Sealed in illustrated color wallet. $18.50
Netherlands Antilles Mint Set 2000-2001
With the traditional square 5 cent.
Sealed in a attractive color jacket. $18.50
Netherlands Mint Set 1999-2000-2001
Reserve your 2000 Dutch Euro Coins.
The Netherlands Guilder Mint Set coins from 5 cents to 5 guilders.
The packaging illustrates the 2000 euro coins, which have a portrait
of Queen Beatrix on the obverse and the common reverse which will
be used by all the euro countries.
Remember, The complete set of Dutch coins for 1999, 2000, and 2001
have two parts:
The guilder coins released now and the euros which will be delivered
in 2002. Reserve today!
Price is $25.00.
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