Like its history, The Netherlands has minted a variety of Gold Coins with a number of different names and values including ducats, florins, florins d’or, duits, stuivers, cavaliers, gulden or guilders, and ducatons.

The Netherlands or Holland, as it is known by some today, is nestled between Germany, Belgium and the North Sea and enjoys a wide ranging history from as early as the 8th century when it was included to make up the Empire of Charlemagne. Throughout history the Netherlands has been made up of various provinces or states with differing levels of independence.

William III was King of the Netherlands and at the same time Grand Duke of Luxembourg between 1849 and 1890. William III was greatly admired in the course of his time as an enlightened constitutional monarch who led his nation through many forward thinking reforms.

With William’s death in 1890 the male Dutch line of the house of Orange-Nassau ended and the Netherlands crown passed to his daughter, Wilhelmina.

Slightly larger in size and gold content than French 20 franc and smaller than a British Sovereign, the 10 Guilder was minted between 1876-1899 for King William and 1911-1933 for Queen Wilhelmina.

The obverse (front) side of the 10 Guilder portrays either King William or Queen Wilhelmina with the inscription “KONING WILLEM DE DERDE” translated “King William the third” or “KONINGIN WILHELMINA · GOD ZIJ MET ONS”, translated “Queen Wilhelmina, God with us”, respectively.

The reverse (back) side depicts a large crown over a shield on which a crowned lion rears holding a sword in one side and a cluster of arrows in the other. Around the shield are the words “KONINGRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN”, which translated means “Kingdom of the Netherlands”. There is also can be seen a tiny seahorse to the left of the date and a caduceus (a winged staff entwined with two snakes) on the other side.

The 10 Guilder is a 21.6 karat gold coin with a gold content of 90% and a fine gold content of 6.0561 grams or .1947 troy ounce. More than a century old these uncommon pieces make a wonderful addition to any collection of gold coins.