Handbook - Overview of the Dutch coins from 1795-2001
A large number of legal agreements are necessary in order to establish – and maintain – an effective monetary system. In the Netherlands, there first of all needs to be a general Currency Act, which stipulates who has the right to mint coins, where they will be produced, which denominations can be minted in the currency, from which material the coins must be struck, who is responsible for overseeing the right procedures are followed and the extent of their powers, and so on. Then a Royal Decree defines which coins will actually be produced and depicting which designs, the maximum mintage, the maximum exchange period for coins that have been removed from circulation, and so on. All of this falls within the context of the provisions in the Currency Act.
These agreements do not become law until they have been published, usually in the Staatsblad or Staatscourant for the Netherlands, or in the Gouvernementsblad or Publicatieblad for the overseas territories (i.e. in government gazettes). This is why the law or decree includes a reference to the relevant publication and reference number.
Thanks to a particularly detailed list given to me by Prof. Dr. P. W. Kasteleyn (1924-1996) from Leiden, I can provide a summary of numerous laws, decrees and directives that are important in Dutch numismatics – not only laws in the Netherlands, but also those in the overseas territories insofar as they are relevant to Dutch coins. Reading this list is enough to gain a pretty good impression of the history of the Dutch coinage system. It becomes apparent that the removal of coins from circulation has not always run smoothly; on many occasions, the exchange period has been extended or even reopened.
The following abbreviations are used in this list:
KB
ARA
Stbl.
Stcrt.
Verord.blad
Bull.off.
Mon.
MLA
Stbl.NI
L.N.R.I.
Gbl.NG
Gbl.S
Pbl.C
Pbl.E
Pbl.M
Koninklijk Besluit
Algemeen Rijksarchief te ‘s-Gravenhage, archief algemeen Staatssecretarie o.v.v. het inventarisnummer
Staatsblad van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
Nederlands(ch)e Staatscourant
Verordeningenblad voor het bezette Nederlandsche Gebied
Bulletin officiel des lois et arrêtés royaux de la Belgique
Moniteur Belge
Mémorial Législatif et Administratif
Staatsblad van Nederlandsch Indië
Lembaran Negara Republik Indonesia
Gouvernementsblad van Nieuw-Guinea
Gouvernementsblad van Suriname
Publicatieblad (van Curaçao en onderhoorigheden)
Publicatiën (voor het eiland St. Eustatius en Saba)
Publicatiën (voor het eiland St. Maarten het Nederlandse gedeelte)