Essequibo & Demerary 1816 1/4 guilder
The Essequibo and Demerary were originally two of three Dutch colonies along the coast of present-day Guyana. They were seized by the British to avoid having them fall into French hands after the French invasion of the Netherlands. They remained in British control through the 1830's, at which point the Netherlands and Great Britain formally divided the region between them, the British taking over the western portion. This mixed colonial origin shows in the coinage: Though the portrait of the British monarch is honored on the obverse, the denominations are clearly Dutch.
This coin is a silver quarter guilder, dated 1816. It was lot 20786 and sold on Apr 22, 2010 at the 2010 April Rosemont, IL CICF Signature World Coin Auction #3009 for $184. The catalog description reads: "Essequibo & Demerary. George III 1/4 Guilder 1816, choice AU-UNC, light grayish gold patina, fully original and very attractive, one small spot on the King's chest."
Recorded mintage: 43,000.
Specification: 1.94 g, 0.816 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM 11.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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