2 1/2 Gulden Silver Voucher

The Zilverbons — silver vouchers — were rushed into circulation in August 1914 as the Netherlands scrambled to prevent the disappearance of metallic coin from public hands at the outbreak of the First World War. The hoarding of silver guilder pieces was immediate and severe, and the Ministry of Finance issued these notes directly, bypassing De Nederlandsche Bank entirely, as emergency small-denomination substitutes redeemable in silver.

With over twelve million printed in a single year, the series was never scarce in circulation. Survivors in any condition above heavily worn are relatively common, which keeps values modest despite the historical urgency behind the issue.