Catalog
25 Centen West-Indische Bank
| Issuer | West-Indische Bank (Suriname) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837-1848 |
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| Value | 25 Cents (25 Cent) (0.25 SRG) |
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| Obverse description | Uniface note printed in brown on plain paper, cut to a distinctive hexagonal format. The perimeter border is composed of a continuous frieze of musical notes, a decorative motif attributed to J.M. Fleischman, enclosing the central text block with denomination and redemption clauses. The date 1837 and denomination numeral 25 appear within the text, with space reserved for manuscript signatures of the Chief Directorate. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | WEST-INDISCHE BANK 25 cts. Goed voor VIJF-EN-TWINTIG CENTEN. Verwisselbaar, op vertoon, bij de West-Indische Bank, ingevolge haar Reglement. Namens de Loofd-Directie, ZEGGE 25 1837 (Translation: West Indies Bank 25 cts. Good for Twenty-Five Cents. Redeemable on demand at the West Indies Bank, pursuant to its Regulations. On behalf of the Chief Directorate, Say 25 1837) |
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| Comments |
The West-Indische Bank was established in 1828 to stabilize Suriname's chronically disordered currency situation — the colony had been running on a chaotic mixture of plantation notes, Spanish silver, and heavily depreciated paper for decades. This small-denomination note was part of the bank's first serious attempt to impose uniform circulating paper on the colony, and the 25 centen value suggests it was intended to reach everyday retail transactions rather than merchant settlements.
Enschedé had been supplying security printing to Dutch colonial authorities well before this series, and their Haarlem facility remained the practical choice for Dutch overseas issues throughout the nineteenth century. The eleven-year issue window — 1837 to 1848 — likely reflects manual date completion at the point of release rather than a change in plate design.