Netherlands 1855 5 cents
This specimen was lot 71376 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, February 2020), where it sold for $90. The catalog description[1] noted, "NETHERLANDS. 5 Cents, 1855. William III. PCGS MS-65 Gold Shield. Coin is sharply struck and blast white with blazing mint luster in the fields." This type was struck 1850-55, 1859-63, 1868-69, 1876, 1879 and 1887. Unlike other countries of the Latin Monetary Union which struck silver minors in 0.835 fine silver, Netherlands persisted with a 0.640 fine alloy, a holdover from the United Provinces days of stuivers and scheepjesschellings. The five cents are rather common compared to the ten cents (KM 80) and twenty-five cents (KM 81) even tho mintages were generally smaller.
Recorded mintage: 515,000 + 2 proofs, including 1855/53.
Specification: 0.685 g, 0.640 fine silver, 12.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-91, Sch-668.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Peters, T., J. Scheper and J. Mevius, Muntalmanak 2014, 31e editie, Amsterdam: Nederlandse vereniging van munthandelaren, 2013.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The February 2020 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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