Catalog
2 1/2 Gulden Silver Voucher
| Issuer | Netherlands Ministry of Finance |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915-1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 21/2 Gulden (2.5 NLG) |
| 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 | Printed in blue on cream paper, the note is framed by an ornate guilloche border with foliate corner vignettes, each enclosing the numeral value 2.50 in a lozenge cartouche. The title KONINKRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN is set in a decorative panel at the top, below which ZILVERBON and the denomination GROOT TWEE EN EEN HALVE GULDEN appear in bold letterpress. A large underprint numeral 2.50 occupies the center field, overlaid by the registration date, two manuscript facsimile signatures, and the legal tender declaration WETTIG BETAALMIDDEL; a counterfeit warning text is contained in a rectangular panel at the foot of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | KONINKRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN ZILVERBON Groot TWEE EN EEN HALVE GULDEN Wordt ter betaling aangenomen door De Nederlandsche Bank en aan alle Rijkskantoren. Inwisselbaar in zilver na aankondiging. Geregistreerd 30 Maart 1915 De Agent van het Ministerie van Financiën De Minister van Financiën WETTIG BETAALMIDDEL Het namaken of vervalschen van zilverbons met het oogmerk om die als echt en onvervalscht uit te geven of te doen uitgeven wordt gestraft met gevangenisstraf van ten hoogste negen jaren. |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| 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 Zilverbons — silver vouchers — were introduced in 1914 after the outbreak of war caused Dutch silver coinage to disappear from circulation almost overnight. Hoarding was immediate and severe; the public simply refused to let silver move. The Ministry of Finance issued these notes as a direct substitute, legally redeemable for silver coin, though in practice that redemption rarely happened while the war continued.
Printed in substantial quantities across the 1915–1917 run, the series nonetheless wore out quickly in daily use — the small format took hard handling at market and counter level. Surviving examples in sound condition are less common than the print figures suggest.