25 years equal marriage 5 Euro Coin 2026 Silver Prooflike

What started as a battle for equal rights, turned out to be a world scoop. On April 1st 2001, the Netherlands wrote history: as the first country in the world it becomes possible for two people of the same sex to get married. This year, we celebrate this milestone in a special way: the 25 years equal marriage 5 Euro Coin Silver Proof, minted by Royal Dutch Mint and commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Finance.

The road to equal marriage

The opening of marriage didn't come out of the blue: it was the result of a years-long fight for equal rights. As early as the 1980s, calls for equal marriage emerged, with more and more organizations and activists taking action. In 1994, Boris Dittrich (D66) was the first to propose equal marriage. This proposal was rejected, but the tone was set. Four years later, an important step was taken with the introduction of registered partnerships. However, this still meant that couples couldn’t use each other's surname and were not yet legal heirs of their partner.

On December 21, 2000, a law was passed amending Book 1 of the Civil Code. Article 30 now states: "A marriage may be entered into by two persons of different or same sex." The law was officially published on January 11, 2001. On April 1, 2001, four couples tied the knot! The Netherlands made history and many countries followed in the years that followed.

Design

25 years of equal marriage is now immortalized on a Silver coin with color, that is designed by Koos Breen. Breen based his design on a quote by Job Cohen: "We have… come to the realization that an important bond like marriage must be open to everyone." The word "everyone" therefore takes center stage in the coin design. On the reverse, it appears separately on the right side. Breen also used two important symbols: intertwined rings as a symbol of marriage and the colored rainbow as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. The word "everyone" is therefore placed within the rainbow, and the intertwined rings also encircle it. The same circular elements appear on the obverse, which features the portrait of King Willem-Alexander. The Silver 5 Euro Coin is placed in a booklet packaging with more information about the subject.