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1 Guilder - William IV
| Issuer | United Colony of Demerary & Essequibo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1832-1835 |
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| Currency | Guilder ( -1839) |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed right-facing effigy of King William IV, engraved by William Wyon in a naturalistic Neoclassical style, with finely rendered curling hair and a strong, aged profile. The truncation of the bust is plain and unadorned. The peripheral legend in Latin reads GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:, distributed around the full circumference of the coin. The field is smooth and slightly concave, and the entire design is enclosed within a fine dentilated border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | UNITED COLONY OF DEMERARY & ESSEQUIBO 1832 |
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| Additional information |
Demerary and Essequibo were administered as a single colony from 1812, but the chronic shortage of small silver in the region persisted well into the 1830s. This guilder issue was authorized precisely to address that shortage — the colony had long relied on a chaotic mix of Spanish, Dutch, and British pieces that circulated at mutually contested valuations. The guilder denomination itself was a holdover from Dutch colonial monetary practice, retained even after British formal annexation in 1814.
The Proof strikes listed under Pr#12-13 suggest London preparation samples rather than circulation pieces. By 1835 the colonial guilder system was being wound down in favor of sterling-denominated coinage.