Jaap Eden, born on October 19, 1873 in Groningen, grew into one of the Netherlands' largest sports legends at the end of the 19th century. Although that’s more than 100 years ago, his exceptional performance is still widely recognized, for he was world champion skating and cycling! The Royal Dutch Mint is therefore launching an official commemorative coin on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Finance: the Jaap Eden 5 Euro Coin. The ceremonial reveal of the design of the coin took place today at the Jaap Eden Ice Rink in Amsterdam. The unveiling was carried out by grandson Jaap Eden Junior, coin designer Wineke Gartz and Olympic skating champion (1988) Yvonne van Gennip.
Jaap Eden: world champion in speed skating and track cycling
More than a hundred years after his victories, Jaap Eden is still honored for his great achievements as a skater and cyclist. In 1893 Jaap Eden became the very first skating world champion in Amsterdam. He was only nineteen years old at the time. In addition, Eden turned out to be a talented cyclist. More and more often he exchanged his skates for his bike. In 1894 Eden won gold for the first time in the 10 kilometers during the world track cycling championships in Antwerp. To visualize this unique achievement, the Royal Dutch Mint made a unique video with ice skating world champion Kjeld Nuis and track cycling world champion Jeffrey Hoogland.
Order your commemorative coin today
Don’t miss out on the Jaap Eden 5 Euro Coin and place your order today! The ceremonial First Strike is planned for December 29, 2019, upon which the orders will be send out. And it is only on this day, that you can order the ‘Jaap Eden 5 Euro Coin First Day Issue’.
Want to know more about the design of the coin? You can read about it here.
Special Cycling Medal
As it is exactly 125 years ago that Jaap Eden became world champion cycling, the Royal Dutch Mint has also issued a special Cycling Medal. The medal is available in two variants: 5,000 in coincard (BU quality) and only 500 in the Jaap Eden Silver Memorial Set. In this unique set, the top performances of Jaap Eden on the skating and cycling track come together with the Jaap Eden 5 Euro Coin Silver Proof and the Jaap Eden Cycling Medal Silver Proof, packed in a beautiful skating rink standard.
View and order all Jaap Eden issues here!