Replica - 4 Duiten 1667 Surinamese Papegaaitje

The original 1667 Surinamese "Papegaaitje" — named for the parrot depicted on the coin — was among the earliest coinage struck specifically for circulation in a Dutch colonial possession. Suriname had just changed hands that year under the Treaty of Breda, with the Dutch trading their claim to New Amsterdam (Manhattan) to England in exchange for the colony. The original duiten were copper emergency issues of minimal intrinsic value, intended purely for local trade in a cash-starved plantation economy.

This Royal Dutch Mint restrike is part of their ongoing historical replica program. The irony of reproducing a coin born of colonial expediency in fine silver is not subtle.