[press release]
The Dutch guilder as a cultural symbol
The Hague, 20 July 2018 The guilder was succeeded by the euro on 1 January 2002, following 700 years of loyal service. On 23 July, PostNL is issuing 10 stamps featuring 10 special guilder coins and guilder notes.
Largest collection in the Netherlands
The coins and notes originate from the National Numismatic Collection (NNC), which is managed by De Nederlandsche Bank. It is the largest collection of coins, paper money, medals and related objects in the Netherlands. The guilder naturally plays an important role in this collection. The history of the Dutch guilder spans over 700 years. The first guilders were used in the Low Countries from the year 1300, at a time when they were still coined in Florence.
The first as well as the last
The stamps feature a golden lily guilder from 1355, one of the first guilders coined in the Netherlands. Other stamps in the issue include the paper emergency coin of Leiden from 1574, the proof coinage of a silver state guilder from 1680, a 1,000-guilder note also called the red back, from 1860, a paper two and a half guilder coin from 1949, the Lieftinck 10-guilder note from 1945 and the last issued 10-guilder note, the kingfisher from 1997.
Numismatic references
The Remarkable money – the Dutch guilder issue was designed by graphic designer Michaël Snitker from Amsterdam. His design includes many references to the history of the Dutch guilder, including the die position of guilder coins and the complex geometrical patterns on guilder notes. Snicker: “We wanted to display the money by telling a story, using exclusive coins and notes from various periods. The National Numismatic Collection includes incredibly beautiful material, a reflection of our country’s rich numismatic history. The Netherlands has a strong tradition of designing coins and banknotes. The role of money as a cultural symbol has been particularly striking in the twentieth century. This also applies to stamps, of course. That is what makes their combination in this issue so special”.
Availability
The Remarkable money – the Dutch guilder sheetlet contains 10 different stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for delivery in the Netherlands. The stamps are available as of 23 July from the post office counter in Bruna stores and online. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
[There’s a lot of detail in this design, so here’s a larger illustration:] 
