Coins and Medals of the Netherlands

We are proud to have auctioned off three of the most extensive and most significant collections of coins, medals and paper money from the Netherlands in recent years: the Beuth, Verschoor and Genaert Collections. If you own the catalogs of all three collections, you will hardly need any additional literature, as they cover almost every aspect of Dutch numismatics. In addition, interested collectors will find detailed historical and numismatic texts introducing you to the various fields. Our catalogs provide collectors with everything they need to know about Dutch coins.

Collecting Dutch coins and medals has a long-standing tradition. There is a historical reason for this: the Reformation. While Catholics preferred to travel to Catholic Italy, Protestant and Calvinist nobles favored the Netherlands for their grand tours. There, they established relationships with influential aristocrats and merchants, learned a great deal from them about stocks and long-distance trade, and – last but not least – acquired valuable pieces for their own collections. The Netherlands had a well-developed art trade from an early stage, which also included coins and medals. Young nobles particularly enjoyed to buy the numismatic relics of the Dutch struggle for liberation. This explains why so many siege coins minted during the Eighty Years’ War are now on display in public collections. The Dutch were masters of propaganda. They based their coin designs on ancient models, thereby popularizing many symbols that we still associate with freedom today. That is why Dutch coins and medals never fail to fascinate when examined in detail! The fact that coin series produced in the Netherlands were issued so continuously while also being extremely diverse at the same time was due to the extensive trading empire of Dutch companies. There are not only coins from the mother country, but also from the many trading posts operated by the VOC at the time. Or should we rather speak of colonies? It is only gradually becoming apparent today just how ruthlessly the representatives of the first joint-stock company exploited people and nature. As you can see, anyone interested in Dutch numismatics cannot study this field without also studying religious and economic history. And this is precisely what makes Dutch numismatics so exciting.

Like many other countries, the Netherlands has evolved from a variety of different regions. When collecting pieces from the Netherlands, you can either choose a specific region or collect coins from all areas. If you choose the latter, you will eventually need to decide how to arrange them. In a chronological order, thereby separating coins from the same series? Or in the way that has become customary for public coin collections? Following this approach, the different regions are carefully separated from each other. In this chapter, we will introduce you to the various collecting areas and suggest a possible order.

The fact that we refer to the “Netherlands” with a plural “s” indicates that it used to be a confederation of states rather than a single nation. Various entities joined forces to wrest control from the Spanish. Each republic retained its own independent right to mint coins, although the most important denominations could circulate throughout the Netherlands and were standardized for this purpose. This origin is reflected in the numismatic order of coinage from the Netherlands, because even today, coins are not arranged chronologically, but according to the provinces that issued them.

The seven provinces are:

 • Holland and West Frisia
 • Zeeland
 • Utrecht
 • Frisia
• Groningen
 • Overijssel
 • Gelderland

The matter is complicated by the fact that not only the provinces but also individual cities and noble families had the right to mint coins or issue tokens for local purposes. Those who wish to specialize further can choose to focus on one of these cities, some of which issued extensive series. It would be of little use to provide a complete list of the many different entities. Without intending to be exhaustive, we therefore list some of the more common or better-known cities below.

 • Amsterdam (Holland)
 • Deventer (Overijssel)
 • Kampen (Overijssel)
 • Nijmegen (Gelderland)
 • Vianen (Holland)
 • Zutphen (Gelderland)
 • Zwolle (Oberijssel)

When referring to coins from the Southern Netherlands, this term encompasses the Catholic regions that are now mainly located in Belgium as well as the Dutch provinces of Limburg and North Brabant. Issues from these areas are often collected separately. 

Without trying to be exhaustive, we mention the most important regions below:

 • Brabant (Duchy)
 • Flanders (County)
 • Hainaut (County)
 • Loon (County)
 • Liège (Bishopric)
 • Namur (County)
 • Tournai (Dominion)

Dutch siege coins are among the most exciting items to collect. This is because they were always minted during life-or-death struggles. As the name suggests, the pieces were issued in besieged cities to facilitate the exchange of goods as normally as possible. As every mercenary was responsible for their own food, they depended on regular pay. If there was insufficient silver to pay the mercenaries, city authorities issued siege coins to try to prevent mercenaries from looting the civilian population. The Dutch believed that it was very important to communicate their military and human achievements to their fellow believers throughout Europe. Therefore, extensive historical records exist of every single siege in which coins were minted. Dutch siege coins have been collected since the 17th century. The city fathers kept the minting tools in town halls as relics of their history. Shortly after the end of a siege, siege coins were restruck to provide a wide coin-collecting elite with authentic testimonies of Dutch heroism. This is advantageous for today’s collectors because it means that many Dutch siege coins are available in large numbers and can therefore be purchased at a reasonable price. 

Even though rare pieces can cost five-figure sums, most siege coins remain in the three-digit and lower four-digit range. The phenomenon of siege and emergency coins is, of course, not limited to the Netherlands. Wherever war interrupted the regular production of coins, such pieces were minted. However, the variety of siege coin produced during the Eighty Years’ War surpasses anything seen in other countries.

Medals, or “historiepenningen” as the Dutch would say, were minted in large quantities throughout the various republics. They are of great interest because the intellectuals of Antwerp, Leiden and Leuven strove to create innovative and emotionally stirring motifs. The fact that the Brutus denarius with the liberty cap is the most expensive ancient coin in the world can be traced back to the Dutch. They rediscovered this motif, re-interpreted it, and equated the Roman nobles’ struggles against Caesar with their struggle against the Spanish. Thus, the art of medal making already had a long tradition in the Netherlands by the time medal production flourished during the Golden Age. The skill of Dutch engravers is impressive indeed. Dutch medals are therefore among the most beautiful things you can collect! 

By the way, they are usually not grouped together according to their place of origin, which is often difficult to determine anyway. Instead, medals are treated as a separate field or the pieces are grouped by theme.

It was the French who forced the Netherlands to overcome their local identities and unite as one nation. The history of the modern Netherlands begins with the Batavian Republic. For those who prefer simplicity, this strictly chronological sub-field of Dutch numismatics is highly recommended. Another advantage for beginners is that all coins were machine-minted and can therefore be graded comparatively reliably by grading institutes. This means that very little specialist knowledge is required to get started in this area.

The field divided into:

• Batavian Republic (1795-1806): This refers to the coins of the short-lived French satellite state. Within the Batavian Republic, the coins are further divided according to the provinces.

• Kingdom of Holland (1806-1810): This period covers the reign of Louis Napoleon.

• Netherlands under French rule (1810-1814): During these four years, the Netherlands was integrated into the Napoleonic Empire.

• Kingdom of the Netherlands (since 1815): Since 1815, the Netherlands has been ruled continuously by members of the House of Oranje-Nassau.

If you suffer from wanderlust or are interested in economic history, then collecting coins from the Dutch overseas territories is the right fit for you. You can also choose to specialize in a specific region.

A basic division is made between:

• Dutch East Indies
• Dutch West Indies with Curacao, Saint Eustatius, Surinam and the Dutch Antilles

And then, of course, there is Dutch paper money – a field that offers much more variety than the banknotes of most other countries.