Catalog
2 1/2 Gulden
| Issuer | Nederlandsch-Indië (Dutch East Indies Government) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940 |
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| Currency | Gulden (decimalized, 1854-1948) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Nederlandsch indië muntbiljet Twee en een halvs gulden (Translation: Dutch East Indies Banknote 2 and a half Gulden) |
| Reverse description | The Royal Netherlands coat of arms occupies the centre of the note, flanked by two rampant lions supporting a crowned shield, with the motto ribbon inscribed 'JE MAINTIENDRAI' below. Two large circular guilloche rosettes flank the central vignette, and a wavy guilloche border frames the entire composition. A legal warning text in Dutch appears at the foot of the note. |
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| Comments |
The P#109A belongs to the last series issued before the Japanese invasion of December 1941 fundamentally disrupted Dutch colonial finance. The Netherlands itself had fallen to Germany in May 1940, creating an unusual administrative situation in which the colonial government in Batavia operated in de facto isolation from The Hague for most of this note's active circulation life.
Japanese forces overstamped surviving Dutch colonial currency after occupation, but notes that had already left the banking system — held by rural populations or traders — often circulated informally well past the official demonetization. The 2½ Gulden denomination was particularly common in everyday transactions, which means genuinely uncirculated examples are harder to find than the print run alone would suggest.