History of Silver in the Netherlands
Dutch silver coins, from the lion daalder of 1575 and the rijksdaalder of 1583 to the guilder, circulated across the world's trade routes. The silver content was cut in 1922, and silver coins gave way to nickel in 1967 and were withdrawn in 1973.
Facts checked 26 October 2026
Timeline: silver in the Netherlands
- 1575The lion daalder
Holland first struck the silver leeuwendaalder (lion daalder) in 1575 for international trade. It travelled to the Levant and North America, and its shortened name 'daler' fed into the word 'dollar'.
- 1583The rijksdaalder
The silver rijksdaalder showing William the Silent was introduced. In 1608 the Amsterdam Exchange Bank fixed its value at 50 stuivers.
- 1816Guilder becomes the national currency
The Coin Act of 1816 made the guilder of 100 cents the national currency of the new kingdom, struck in silver.
- 1922Silver content reduced
Guilders were struck in 720 silver from 1922, down from higher finenesses in the 19th century; rijksdaalders followed in 1929.
- 1967Switch to nickel
Rising silver prices made silver too costly for everyday coins, so the Netherlands switched to nickel in 1967; guilders dated 1967 exist in both metals.
- 1973Silver coins withdrawn
1 January 1973. The last silver guilders and rijksdaalders were withdrawn from circulation on 1 January 1973.
Sources (6)
- The history of Dutch silver coinage - The Silver Mountain
- Thaler - Wikipedia
- Predecessor of US dollar minted 500 years ago in Jachymov - Radio Prague International
- Central bank gold policies: De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) - BullionStar
- Netherlands Bank moves 122.5 tonnes of gold from New York to Amsterdam - Central Banking
- Crypto market is preparing for MiCAR - Houthoff
History compiled from the sources listed, which we opened and checked in October 2026. Dates follow those sources; where they differ, we say so or leave the detail out.
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@misc{corgano2026historyofsilverin, author = {{Corgano}}, title = {History of Silver in the Netherlands}, howpublished = {\url{https://silverprice.corgano.com/silver-history/netherlands}}, year = {2026}, note = {Corgano Silver Price, accessed 2026-10-26}}