Mayor of Haarlem, Jos Wienen, performed the ceremonial first restrike of the Prince Dollar today in Dordrecht. Today, the Royal Dutch Mint launches a restrike of this special coin, the only official Dutch coin with the image of Willem van Oranje. The prince played an important part in the Eighty Years’ War and also in the birth of The Netherlands.
In 1572, delegates of Dutch cities came together in the state hall of Dordrecht, to make a deal about their common future. Today, the restrike of the Prince Dollar took place in the same complex, during the National Free City Meeting. A special handstrike was used to perform the ceremonial strike. A remarkable detail is that the original Prince Dollar with image of Willem van Oranje was minted the very same way, as good as 450 years ago.
Prince Dollar: one-time restrike
The original silver coin has an armored statue of Willem van Oranje on the obverse, he is carrying a sword in his right hand. The inscription contains the saying ‘Vigilate Deo confidentes’, which means ‘Watch, trusting on God’. The reverse contains a helmeted provincial coat of arms. With the restrike, the year 2022 is also placed on the coin.
After the introduction of the lion dollar, Holland also came up with the need to enter a heavier rijksdaalder, a coin that would comply with the German laws at that time. The Baltic Sea trade also created demand for a better coin. On the Royal Dutch Mint website you can order the Prince Dollar Silver 1 ounce and Gold 1 ounce, but also the Silver and Gold issue in Piedfort edition. All issues are delivered in luxurious packaging and with Certificate of Authenticity.