Essequibo & Demerary 1832 2 guilder

Heritage sale 378, lot 12563

Courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

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 two guilder, dated 1832. It was lot 12563 and sold on June 2, 2005 at the 2005 (HWCA) Long Beach Signature Auction #378 for $218.50. The catalog description reads: "Essequibo & Demerary. William IIII 2 Guilders 1832, choice AVF, lightly toned and very attractive. This type is very scarce and surprisingly elusive in grades above Fine."

Recorded mintage: 14,000.

Specification: 15.50 g, 0.816 fine silver.

Catalog reference: KM 20.

Sources:

• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Pridmore, F., The Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations to the end of the Reign of George VI 1952: Part 3, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras and the British West Indies, London: Spink & Son, 1965.

Links to:

• 1809 2 guilder
• 1816 2 guilder
• 1816 3 guilder
• 1832 quarter guilder
• 1832 half guilder
• 1832 guilder
• 1832 3 guilder
• Coins and currency dated 1832
• coins of Guyana, British Guiana
• return to coins of Essequibo & Demerary