Netherlands Wilhelmina 2½ Cents

History

2½ Cents 1903-1906, KM# 134, Netherlands, Wilhelmina

Obverse. Photo © Numismatic Guaranty Company

Description

Wilhelmina (Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 1880–1962) was Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948.

She became queen when her father died, when she was 10 years old. As she was still a minor, her mother served as regent until Wilhelmina became 18 years old. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial power. Outside the Netherlands she is primarily remembered for her role in World War II, in which she proved to be a great inspiration to the Dutch resistance.

Obverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Lion Coat of arms Netherlands Military Sword Depicts the coat of arms inside a dotted circle surrounded by the inscription Kingdom of the Netherlands. Date between privy and mint mark below. The coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was originally adopted in 1815 and later modified in 1907. The arms are a composite of the arms of the former Dutch Republic and the arms of the House of Nassau, it features a checkered shield with a lion grasping a sword in one hand and a bundle of seven arrows in the other and is the heraldic symbol of the monarch and the country. The lion comes from the arms of the House of Nassau. The sword and sheaf of arrows in the lion’s paws come from the coat of arms of the States General of the Republic of the United Provinces. The seven arrows stand for the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht. Mint mark: caduceus (Mercury's wand, a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings), the logo of the Royal Dutch Mint (Utrecht, the Netherlands). Mintmaster's privy mark: halberd (Hugo Laurens Adriaan van den Wall Bake, 1887-1909) Engraver: J.P.M. Menger KONINGRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN 1906
Reverse	Tree, flower, plant etc. Orange Value within wreath of 2 orange branches. 2 1/2 CENT
Edge	Reeded (milled)