Royal Dutch Mint
Encyclopedia
The Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (Royal Dutch Mint), seated in Utrecht
, the Netherlands, is a company owned entirely by the Dutch State, and since 1807 the only Dutch entity allowed to strike and give out coins.
) Louis Napoleon decided that the striking and distribution of coins should be by a single, national body. This was in contrast to the Middle Ages
customs of large trading cities to have their own mint and coins. This resulted in several coins circulating within the country, and many levels of controlling bureaucracy.
Originally it was the intention to found the mint in the capital city of Amsterdam but, since there were insufficient financial means available, it was decided to locate the National Mint seat in Utrecht.
After Napoleon was defeated in 1813, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands was founded with William I
as King, the Mint was renamed to 's Rijks Munt. What is now known as Belgium was a part of the new kingdom, and a second Mint was located in Brussels
. Once Belgium achieved independence in 1839, 's Rijks Munt became the only mint in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The provincial coins which were made before the unification of the Mint were still in circulation. Due to their relatively high intrinsic value, the "new" coins would only gain popularity with the passage of time. In 1849 the provincial coins were officially taken out of the circulation.
In 1901 the company was placed under supervision of the Ministry of Finance, and in 1912 the Mint officially became a company owned by the State. . At the end of the German occupation during the Second World War, in 1944, coins were produced in the United States. This was necessary to make sure there would be sufficient currency available after the liberation.
In 1994 's Rijks Munt was renamed to De Nederlandse Munt NV
. It became a company, of which 100% of the shares are owned by the Dutch State. The Queen awarded the company the prefix Koninklijk (Royal) five years later, and the company was now allowed to call itself De Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (The Royal Dutch Mint).
, Guatemala
and Honduras
. Furthermore, the Dutch Royal Mint produces memorial and collection coins (sometimes an official coin, sometimes not) and royal medals.
The Royal Dutch Mint was also delegated the task of destroying the old guilders after their replacement by the euro
in 2002.
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, the Netherlands, is a company owned entirely by the Dutch State, and since 1807 the only Dutch entity allowed to strike and give out coins.
History
On 17 September 1806 (The Netherlands were under the rule of King Louis NapoleonLouis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
) Louis Napoleon decided that the striking and distribution of coins should be by a single, national body. This was in contrast to the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
customs of large trading cities to have their own mint and coins. This resulted in several coins circulating within the country, and many levels of controlling bureaucracy.
Originally it was the intention to found the mint in the capital city of Amsterdam but, since there were insufficient financial means available, it was decided to locate the National Mint seat in Utrecht.
After Napoleon was defeated in 1813, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands was founded with William I
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
as King, the Mint was renamed to 's Rijks Munt. What is now known as Belgium was a part of the new kingdom, and a second Mint was located in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Once Belgium achieved independence in 1839, 's Rijks Munt became the only mint in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The provincial coins which were made before the unification of the Mint were still in circulation. Due to their relatively high intrinsic value, the "new" coins would only gain popularity with the passage of time. In 1849 the provincial coins were officially taken out of the circulation.
In 1901 the company was placed under supervision of the Ministry of Finance, and in 1912 the Mint officially became a company owned by the State. . At the end of the German occupation during the Second World War, in 1944, coins were produced in the United States. This was necessary to make sure there would be sufficient currency available after the liberation.
In 1994 's Rijks Munt was renamed to De Nederlandse Munt NV
Naamloze Vennootschap
is the Dutch term for a public limited liability company. The company is owned by shareholders, and the company's shares are not registered to certain owners, so that they may be traded on the public stock market....
. It became a company, of which 100% of the shares are owned by the Dutch State. The Queen awarded the company the prefix Koninklijk (Royal) five years later, and the company was now allowed to call itself De Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (The Royal Dutch Mint).
Production
Since 2002 the Royal Dutch Mint has been allowed to strike coins for foreign national banks in the euro zone, and strikes coins for LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. Furthermore, the Dutch Royal Mint produces memorial and collection coins (sometimes an official coin, sometimes not) and royal medals.
The Royal Dutch Mint was also delegated the task of destroying the old guilders after their replacement by the euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
in 2002.
Sources and references
- elaborating about the Royal Dutch Mint (in English)