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- From rslobins@yahoo.com Mon Jan 29 19:32:42 2007
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From: "rslobins" <rslobins@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Daalders
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I am now back in the mood to contribute....
Some of you may know that I am an active collector of early Dutch.=20=20
This interest grew from my initial involvement with colonials.
First: Lion daalders were 75% silver and intended to circulate as=20
trade coins outside of the Netherlands, that is, the territory of the=20
States-General managed by the Oranges that we know as the Netherlands=20
now. (The lowland counties of northwestern Europe were known as the=20
Nether (nieder =3D low) lands, but those that remained under Catholic=20
Spanish rule became Belgium eventually.)=20=20
The initial market was the Levant--the Mid East. Of course, these=20
Liondaalders made their way to the Americas, Brasil (maybe) and=20
Indonesia. (At one time, Dutch North America included what we know=20
as Delaware, New Jersey and Connecticut. The Dutch ruled Pernambuco,=20
Brasil, but the Portuguese booted them out. The Jews of Pernambuco=20
then emigrated to New Amsterdam (New York), creating the first open=20
Jewish community of North America in 1654. I can infer that the Lion=20
Daalders came with them. Brasilians do not collect Lion Daalders.
Second: The States-General produced a dizzying assortment of coin=20
types and denominations. We have ducatoons (riders), silver ducats,=20
rijksdaalders, 60- and 30- stuiver pieces, florins of 28 stuivers,=20
and 3 gulden pieces. The Dutch East and West India companies=20
produced ducatoons and guldens for use in their tropical=20
territories. These company coins are rare.=20=20=20
Third: Each coin issue had its purpose, which I have yet to=20
discover. The relevant literature is very difficult to find and is=20
written in Dutch. The catalogs I have include Delmonte and=20
Zonnenblom. (Forget Krause--it is of limited use at best.) Delmonte=20
is a picture book. It is a good standard catalog. If you find one,=20
remember to be sure that you get the supplement with it. Zonnenblom=20
is a catalog of Dutch coins with prices, by date. But it is old,=20
published in 1980 at the height of the market for these pieces. At=20
FUN, I spoke with the people of Schulman's dealership who informed me=20
that there is a new catalog available.
If you know Dutch, you can read the material by Enno Van Gelder.
I read somewhere that rider daalders (ducatoons)--.945 fine--were=20
intended for domestic use only. There were stiff sanctions for=20
exporting these pieces. That did not stop the export of ducatoons,=20
as shipwreck recoveries have proved.
Fourth: The Dutch system proved that free markets--truly free=20
markets--worked. There was mercantilism, especialy with respect to=20
the colonies, and monopolies, again, with the government-chartered=20
settlement companies (think of America's FED, Fannie Mae), but the=20
Netherlands was indeed the land of opportunity. It remained=20
relatively free of the warfare raging across most of mainland Europe=20
from 1618-48. It was able to extend its influence so that this was=20
the first European flag on which the sun never set.=20=20
What also worked for the Dutch was their integrity and that was=20
reflected in the coinage. This is why the coins were accepted=20
worldwide, and the liondaalder became the first world currency--or=20
trade dollar. Other governments imitated Dutch florins and=20
liondaalders. These governments (pricipalities or counties) were=20
either German or Italian.
I have pieces from Rietberg, Bozzolo, and Modena. The liondaalder in=20
question in this topic is a Rietberg piece. (Incidentally, I have=20
located one, and if anyone wants it, please email me off-list.)=20=20
These coins are not necessarily made to the standards set by the=20
Dutch.
Fifth: It would work best to collect liondaalders by type and by=20
province. Each of the provinces under the States-General issued=20
coins in compliance with a convention; that is mentioned on all of=20
the silver coinage (AD: NOM: CONVEN: in the legend). If you are=20
daring, then go for a date set. Please note that it is still=20
possible to discover a date-province conbination that is not listed=20
in any reference. I have done that.
Sixth: As is usual, half- denominations are rare, because they were=20
coined for accounting purposes only. But they can be found.=20=20=20
If you want Dutch coins, it is best to buy them from European=20
auctions. German, Swiss, Austrian and Dutch (Schulman) auctions=20
often have this material available. Until recently, even half-lions=20
were affordable. I have a UBS catalog in front of me for its auction=20
last week. It had two lion daalders for sale with estimates at 200=20
and 160 euros.
When you participate in European auctions, remember that the buyers=20
premium can be high, and there is a conversion from USD to EUR to=20
perform. The rate is about 1.29 and the spread, 3-5%. Also, the=20
grading standard is much more stringent than what is found in=20
America: an extremely fine is what Americans call AU or even MS-60.=20=20
(That is also my grading standard; that is why I find so little in=20
the United States series to buy anymore.) The closest we see to=20
European grading is EAC grading.
I hope this helps.
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