Catalog
2 1/2 Gulden
| Issuer | Nederlandsch-Indië (Dutch East Indies Government) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 21/2 Gulden (2.5) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central vignette of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1618–1623 and 1627–1629), rendered as a portrait bust. The design incorporates guilloche underprint work and denomination numerals, with inscriptions identifying the issuing authority and the note's face value in Dutch. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | NEDERLANDSCH-INDIË WETTIG BETAALMIDDEL JE MAINTIENDRAI HET NAMAKEN OF VERVALSCHEN VAN MUNTBILJETTEN HET OPZETTELIJK UITGEVEN IN VOORRAAD HEBBEN OF BINNEN NEDERLANDSCH-INDIË INVOEREN VAN VALSCHE OF VERVALSCHTE MUNTBILJETTEN IS BIJ DE ARTIKELEN 244-245 EN 249 WETBOEK VAN STRAFRECHT STRAFBAAR GESTELD (Translation: Dutch East Indies / Legal Tender / I Will Maintain / The counterfeiting or falsifying of banknotes, the intentional issuing, stockpiling or importing of false or falsified banknotes into the Dutch East Indies is punishable under Articles 244-245 and 249 of the Penal Code) |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| 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.