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| Issuer | West-Indische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837-1848 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Guilder (1826-2003) |
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| Obverse description | Uniface note printed in brown on plain paper. The border is composed of a musical notes ornament designed by J.M. Fleischman, forming a distinctive typographic frame around the central text. The denomination and issuing authority are stated in letterpress, with provision for manuscript or printed signature varieties. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | WEST-INDISCHE BANK 10 cts. Goed voor TIEN CENTEN. Verwisselbaar, op vertoon, bij de West- Indische Bank, ingevolge haar Reglement. Namens de Loofd-Directie, ZEGGE 10 (Translation: West Indies Bank 10 cts. Good for Ten Cents. Interchangeable, upon presentation, at the Western Indies Bank, pursuant to her Regulations. On behalf of the Chief Executive, Say 10) |
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| Comments |
The West-Indische Bank was established by royal decree in 1828 to stabilize currency in the Dutch Caribbean colonies, particularly Suriname and Curaçao, where a chaotic mix of foreign coin and depreciated paper had made ordinary commerce genuinely difficult. This 10 Centen note sits at the extreme low end of that system's denominations — fractional paper issued because small silver simply wasn't available in sufficient quantity in the colonies.
Enschedé had been printing securities and currency for Dutch colonial institutions since the early nineteenth century, and this series reflects their characteristic restraint. The nearly square format is unusual even by small-denomination standards of the period.