1 Guilder - William IV

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.