Willem Barentsz led three Dutch Arctic expeditions in the 1590s, the third ending with his crew icebound off Novaya Zemlya in 1596–97 — the first documented deliberate overwintering in the Arctic. Barentsz died on the return voyage in June 1597. The 400th anniversary of that expedition prompted several Dutch commemorative issues, though this piece, catalogued under the "X" fantasy series, carries no legal tender status and was produced outside official Rijksmunt channels.
Willem Barentsz led three Dutch Arctic expeditions in the 1590s, the third ending with his crew icebound off Novaya Zemlya in 1596–97 — the first documented deliberate overwintering in the Arctic. Barentsz died on the return voyage in June 1597. The 400th anniversary of that expedition prompted several Dutch commemorative issues, though this piece, catalogued under the "X" fantasy series, carries no legal tender status and was produced outside official Rijksmunt channels.