Surinamese gulden
Encyclopedia
The guilder was the currency
of Suriname
until 2004, when it was replaced by the Surinamese dollar. It was divided into 100 cents. Until the 1940s, the plural in Dutch was cents, with centen appearing on some early paper money, but after the 1940s the Dutch plural became cent.
The Surinamese guilder suffered from high inflation in the beginning of the 1990s. It was replaced by the dollar on 1 January 2004 at a rate of 1 dollar = 1000 guilders. To save cost of manufacturing, coins of less than 5 guilders (all denominated in cents) were made legal for their face value in the new currency. Thus, these coins increased their purchasing power by 1000 fold overnight.
for use in Netherlands Guiana, some of which also circulated in the Netherlands Antilles
. These coins were in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents.
In 1962, coins were introduced bearing the name Suriname for the first time. These were in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents and 1 guilder. The 1 cent was bronze, the 5 cent nickel-brass, the 10 and 25 cents were cupro-nickel and the 1 guilder was silver. Aluminium 1 and 5 cent coins were introduced in 1974 and 1976. In 1987, copper-plated steel replaced aluminium in the 1 and 5 cent coins and cupro-nickel 100 and 250 cent coins were introduced.
The Surinaamsche Bank introduced 50 guilder notes in 1901, followed by 10 guilders in 1915, 200 guilders in 1925, 50 guilders in 1926, 100 guilders in 1927, 5 guilders in 1935, 2½ guilders in 1940, 25 guilders in 1941, 1000 guilders in 1943 and 300 guilders in 1948. The government issued silver certificates (zilverbonnen) between 1918 and 1920 for ½, 1 and 2½ guilders. Further issues for 50 cent and 1 guilder were introduced in 1940. The 50 cent coin was issued until 1942, with 2½ guilders introduced in 1950. The silver certificates were superseded in 1960 by muntbiljet for 1 and 2½ guilders, which were issued until 1985.
In 1957, the Central Bank of Suriname
took over paper money production, issuing notes for 5, 10, 25, 100 and 1000 guilders. 500 guilder notes were introduced in 1982, followed by 250 guilders in 1988. 2000 guilder notes were introduced in 1995, followed by 5000 and 10,000 guilders in 1997 and 25,000 guilders in 2000.
The last series of banknotes was introduced in 2000 in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 25,000 guilders. This issue has a flower
on one side and a bird
on the other.
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
of Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
until 2004, when it was replaced by the Surinamese dollar. It was divided into 100 cents. Until the 1940s, the plural in Dutch was cents, with centen appearing on some early paper money, but after the 1940s the Dutch plural became cent.
History
The Surinamese guilder was initially at par with the Dutch guilder. In 1940, following the occupation of the Netherlands, the currency (along with the Netherlands Antillean guilder) was tied to the U.S. dollar at a rate of 1.88585 guilders = 1 dollar.The Surinamese guilder suffered from high inflation in the beginning of the 1990s. It was replaced by the dollar on 1 January 2004 at a rate of 1 dollar = 1000 guilders. To save cost of manufacturing, coins of less than 5 guilders (all denominated in cents) were made legal for their face value in the new currency. Thus, these coins increased their purchasing power by 1000 fold overnight.
Coins
Until 1942, Dutch coins circulated in Suriname. Starting that year, coins were minted in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for use in Netherlands Guiana, some of which also circulated in the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
. These coins were in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents.
In 1962, coins were introduced bearing the name Suriname for the first time. These were in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents and 1 guilder. The 1 cent was bronze, the 5 cent nickel-brass, the 10 and 25 cents were cupro-nickel and the 1 guilder was silver. Aluminium 1 and 5 cent coins were introduced in 1974 and 1976. In 1987, copper-plated steel replaced aluminium in the 1 and 5 cent coins and cupro-nickel 100 and 250 cent coins were introduced.
Banknotes
In 1826, the Algemene Nederlandsche Maatschappij (General Netherlands Company) issued ½ and 3 guilder notes. These were followed in 1829 by notes of the West Indies Bank in denominations of ½, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 50 guilders. The Bank introduced 10, 15 and 25 centen and 25 guilder notes in 1837, followed by 100, 200 and 300 guilder notes in 1865.The Surinaamsche Bank introduced 50 guilder notes in 1901, followed by 10 guilders in 1915, 200 guilders in 1925, 50 guilders in 1926, 100 guilders in 1927, 5 guilders in 1935, 2½ guilders in 1940, 25 guilders in 1941, 1000 guilders in 1943 and 300 guilders in 1948. The government issued silver certificates (zilverbonnen) between 1918 and 1920 for ½, 1 and 2½ guilders. Further issues for 50 cent and 1 guilder were introduced in 1940. The 50 cent coin was issued until 1942, with 2½ guilders introduced in 1950. The silver certificates were superseded in 1960 by muntbiljet for 1 and 2½ guilders, which were issued until 1985.
In 1957, the Central Bank of Suriname
Central Bank of Suriname
The Central Bank of Suriname is Suriname's highest monetary authority and the country's governing body in monetary and economic affairs.The Central Bank's tasks were legislated in the Bank Act of 1956. Like other central banks, it is the principal monetary authority of the country...
took over paper money production, issuing notes for 5, 10, 25, 100 and 1000 guilders. 500 guilder notes were introduced in 1982, followed by 250 guilders in 1988. 2000 guilder notes were introduced in 1995, followed by 5000 and 10,000 guilders in 1997 and 25,000 guilders in 2000.
The last series of banknotes was introduced in 2000 in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 25,000 guilders. This issue has a flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
on one side and a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
on the other.