2 1/2 Gulden

The Curaçaosche Bank was established in 1828, making it one of the older colonial issuing institutions in the Western Hemisphere, but notes from its earliest decades are virtually nonexistent today. This 2½ Gulden denomination — an awkward fractional value that the Dutch colonial system perpetuated long after it had been abandoned in the Netherlands proper — circulated across a small island economy tied closely to the entrepôt trade at Willemstad rather than any domestic productive base.

The seventeen-year date range for this type reflects slow plate turnover under low-volume issuance, not continuous heavy production. Survivors in any condition are genuinely uncommon.