History
After a first few isolated issues in low numbers under the kings William I and William II in the early 19th century, a gold five guilder coin was issued under Queen Wilhelmina in 1912. One million pieces were struck that year but none were struck in the following years of her reign. Many of these ended up in necklaces and bracelets, and its popularity as a jewel meant that imitations were made without the coin.
The introduction of a 5 guilder coin was first discussed and eventually approved in 1981. It would replace the 5 guilder note in circulation at the time. However at the time the National Bank had a very large supply of these banknotes in stock. Thus, in order to prevent wasting them it was decided to postpone the introduction of the coin by several years. The new coin had to fit in the current series. The ministry of finance reported it was to become "gold-coloured" and "smaller than the guilder coin and thicker than the rijksdaalder (2½ guilder coin)". It was introduced on 1 May 1988.
In 2000 a commemorative 5 guilder coin was struck in honour of the UEFA Euro 2000 in the Netherlands and Belgium. The 5 guilder coin was withdrawn from circulation on 28 January 2002 following the introduction of the euro. It remained tender to be exchanged for currency of the euro until 1 January 2007.
Read more about this topic: Five Guilder Coin (Netherlands)
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