Dutch Gulden

Categories: Currencies replaced by the Euro | Economy of the Netherlands | Numismatics

The gulden (sometimes guilder in English), represented by the symbol ƒ, was the name of the currency used in the Netherlands from the 15th century until 1999, when it was replaced by the euro (coins and notes were not introduced until 2002). Gulden are still in use in the Netherlands Antilles, a Dutch dependencies. In 2004, the Suriname gulden was replaced by the Suriname dollar.

The exact exchange rate, still relevant for old contracts, is 2.20371 Dutch gulden (NLG) for 1 euro (EUR). Inverted, this gives EUR 0.453780 for NLG 1.

History

In the Netherlands, both gold and silver gulden coins were issued. In the 18th century, the silver gulden was divided into 20 stuivers, each of 8 duit or 16 penning. At various times, other coins derived from the guilder emerged. Among them were the daalder of one and a half gulden (30 stuivers) and the rijksdaalder of two and a half gulden (50 stuivers). The names derived from the German thaler.

Following the Napoleonic wars, the Netherlands decimalized, with one gulden equal to 100 cents. However, some of the new, decimal coins continued to bear nicknames based on their values in the older currency system.

Denominations

At the time of withdrawal, the following denominations were circulating, the 1 cent coin having been withdrawn in 1983:

• Coins - nickname:
  • 5 cent - stuiver
  • 10 cent - dubbeltje
  • 25 cent - kwartje
  • 100 cent / 1 gulden - gulden, piek
  • 250 cent / 2.50 gulden - Rijksdaalder, colloquially riks or knaak, not to be confused with the older valued daalder (1.50 gulden)
  • 500 cent / 5.00 gulden - vijfje

All the coins carried a profile image of the Queen on the heads side and a simple grid on the other side.

• Banknotes - nickname:
  • 10 gulden - tientje, joet
  • 25 gulden - geeltje
  • 50 gulden - zonnebloem (sunflower)
  • 100 gulden - honderdje, meier / later: snip (common Snipe)
  • 250 gulden - vuurtoren (lighthouse)
  • 1000 gulden - duizendje, (rooie) rug / rooi(tj)e

At the time of withdrawal, all but the 50 and 250 gulden notes had been issued in a new revision that was the same colour as the older, long-serving notes but with a mostly abstract pattern, featuring a different bird for each denomination.

Older banknotes:

ƒ 5 = poet Joost van den Vondel (until it was replaced by a ƒ 5 coin)
ƒ 10 = painter Frans Hals
ƒ 25 = composer Jan Petersz. Sweelinck
ƒ 100 = admiral Michiel de Ruyter (until replaced by a bird, then an abstract)
ƒ 1000 = philosopher Baruch d'Spinoza

These 1970's "face"-notes and the 80's ƒ 50 (sunflower) and ƒ 250 (lighthouse) were designed by R.D.E. Oxenaar. Eventually all faces were replaced by abstracts, designed by Jaap Drupsteen, see above.

Again earlier, there was a banknote of ƒ 2.50, and longer ago, one of ƒ 1.

External links

• Gulden in the Swiss Historical Encyclopedia (in German; also available in French and Italian).
• The Marteau Early 18th century Currency Converter with tools to convert early 18th century Dutch Guilders into the major contemporary European currencies.
• Overview of the Dutch guilder and its history from the BBC
• Banknotes of the Netherlands

Guilder is also a fictional nation in the book The Princess Bride, as is florin.