The Peace of Utrecht, signed in 1713, ended the War of the Spanish Succession and reshaped European borders more dramatically than any treaty since Westphalia. The Netherlands emerged commercially intact but militarily exhausted, having bled heavily to prevent Louis XIV from placing a Bourbon on the Spanish throne. The 300th anniversary issue appeared in the same year the Dutch government announced Queen Beatrix's abdication in favor of Willem-Alexander — making it one of the final commemoratives struck under her reign.
Silver-plated copper was chosen over sterling to keep the piece accessible at face value price point, a deliberate policy of the Dutch mint for circulation-tier commemoratives.
The Peace of Utrecht, signed in 1713, ended the War of the Spanish Succession and reshaped European borders more dramatically than any treaty since Westphalia. The Netherlands emerged commercially intact but militarily exhausted, having bled heavily to prevent Louis XIV from placing a Bourbon on the Spanish throne. The 300th anniversary issue appeared in the same year the Dutch government announced Queen Beatrix's abdication in favor of Willem-Alexander — making it one of the final commemoratives struck under her reign.
Silver-plated copper was chosen over sterling to keep the piece accessible at face value price point, a deliberate policy of the Dutch mint for circulation-tier commemoratives.