Netherlands 2000 5 gulden
This NCLT was struck as a joint issue with Belgium to honor soccer, the most popular sport in the Netherlands. It had a short circulating life, as euros were already in production in 2000, to be implemented in 2002.
Wikipedia comments,
"After appearing in two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978, the team had their biggest World Cup streak in the 1990s, reaching three straight tournaments. In 1990, two years after the European Championship at the UEFA Euro 1988, the Dutch went out in the Round of 16, defeated by West Germany. In 1994 Netherlands was eliminated by Brazil in the quarter-finals, and in 1998 lost to Brazil in the semi-finals and Croatia in the third-place play-off. Netherlands returned in 2006, being eliminated by Portugal in the Round of 16, a game known as the Battle of Nuremberg. In 2010 the team reached their third World Cup final, this time losing to Spain. The Dutch avenged this loss during the first match of the following 2014 World Cup, routing the Spanish 5–1, and eventually going on to their first third-place finish. After missing the 2018 World Cup, they returned in 2022, being eliminated in the quarter-final stage. The Dutch have never lost a World Cup match in regular time by more than one goal, and have not lost a match since the 2010 final, their 2014 and 2022 campaigns both ending in defeat by way of penalty shoot-out and both by Argentina."
Recorded mintage: 2,500,000 + 1,000 with small mintmark + 19,000 proofs.
Specification: 9.25 g, brass plated nickel, 23.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 231.
- Peters, T., J. Scheper and J. Mevius, Muntalmanak 2018, 35e editie, Amsterdam: Nederlandse vereniging van munthandelaren, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
Link to: