Catalog
500 Gulden
| Issuer | De Javasche Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1897-1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Gulden (decimalized, 1854-1948) |
| 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 | Gray and brown tones with a classical allegorical composition: a vignette of Mercury appears at left, while three crowned civic arms representing Surabaya, Batavia, and Semarang are arranged in wreaths at top center. A portrait of Jan Pieterszoon Coen in period ruffled collar occupies the right side, rendered in fine intaglio engraving characteristic of Enschedé's work. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| 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 | P#59a - 02.06.1897 - 1913 P#59b - 01.02.1916 - 05.07.1919 P#59s - Specimen |
| Comments |
De Javasche Bank, established in Batavia in 1828 as the colonial central bank of the Dutch East Indies, occupied an unusual position — privately owned but operating under government charter, with the colonial treasury deeply dependent on its note circulation. The 500 Gulden denomination placed this note well beyond everyday use; it would have moved between merchant houses, trading firms, and the bank itself rather than through ordinary retail commerce.
Enschedé in Haarlem had been printing for De Javasche Bank since the nineteenth century, and the relationship was effectively exclusive for high-denomination issues. The long issue window — over two decades — means individual examples can vary subtly in printing impression and paper quality, though all share the same plate design.