Silver Ducats

Silver Ducats are commissioned by the Ministry of Finance on a yearly basis. Silver Ducats are recorded in the Dutch Mint Act as collectors coins and are no longer legal tender. The Royal Dutch Mint also strikes Golden Ducats every year.

The first series Silver Ducats by the Royal Dutch Mint is titled “The Twelve Provinces” and shows an important historical figure from each province on the obverse of the coin. The second series is named “Dutch Castles” and depicts a castle from each of the twelve provinces.

In 1659 the Silver Ducat was introduced as legal tender (at the same time with the Ducaton) which was recorded as such until 1816. A different name for the Silver Ducat was “rijksdaalder”. This term was reintroduced in 1840 for the 2 ½ guilder coin. Both coins had the same nominal value: 50 “stuivers” (5 cent coins).

The obverse of the Silver Ducat depicts a knight in armour and the Latin phrase “MO.NO.ARG.REG.BELGII”: New Silver coin of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The inscription on the reverse is the Latin “Concordia res Parvae Crescunt”, Unity makes Strength, the motto of the Netherlands between 1588 and 1795.