The rijksdaalder (; "Imperial dollar") was a Dutch coin first issued by the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in the late 16th century during the Dutch Revolt which featured an armored half bust of William the Silent. It was the Dutch counterpart of the Reichsthaler of the Holy Roman Empire (weighing 29.232 grams of 0.889 fine silver) but weighed slightly less, at 29.03 g (448 grains) of 0.885 fine silver, reduced to 0.875 fine by the 17th century. Friesland, Gelderland, Holland, Kampen, Overijssel, Utrecht, West Friesland, Zeeland, and Zwolle minted armored half bust rijksdaalders until the end of the 17th century.
17th century rijksdaalder was set to be equal to from 48 to 50 stuivers (the Dutch equivalent of shillings) and circulated along with silver florins (28 stuivers), daalders (30 stuivers), leeuwendaalders (36 to 42 stuivers; 27.68 g, 0.743 fine), silver ducats (48 stuivers; 28.06 g, 0.868 fine), and ducatons (60 stuivers; 32.46 g, 0.938 fine) silver ducats and rijksdaalders were almost of the same size and quality. With the disappearance of the original armored half bust rijksdaalder design, silver ducats and later guilders started to be called rijksdaalders.
Unification of the Dutch monetary system in the beginning of the 18th century introduced guilder and set rijksdaalders and silver ducats at guilders. Following decimalization (in 1816), -guilder coins were no longer produced because a 3-guilder coin was thought to better fit in the series of denominations. This turned out to be a mistake (due to the high silver price) and from 1840 onward -guilder coins were produced again. Production stopped in 2002 due to the introduction of the euro. -guilder coins continued to be called by their nicknames rijksdaalder, riks, and knaak until the introduction of the euro.
The Royal Dutch Mint still mints a silver ducat "rijksdaalder" to this day.
Mintage since 1840 These are mintage figures for the 2-guilder denomination until introduction of the euro in 2002. It excludes the silver ducat which is still minted as a numismatic product even after 2002.
Year Mintage Mint Mint marks Monarch Notes 1840 44,409 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark William I Diameter: 38mm; silver content: 94.5% 1841 53,542 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark William II 1842 1,009,807 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1843 642,659 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1844 278,535 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1845 3,928,381 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1846 3,629,712 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1847 9,465,005 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1848 8,333,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1849 2,049,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 439,307 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark William III 1850 5,008,210 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1851 3,647,493 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1852 4,547,764 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1853 234,128 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1854 4,334,526 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1855 2,082,046 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1856 909,345 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1857 3,353,072 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1858 8,357,486 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1859 4,306,594 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1860 847,104 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1861 876,003 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1862 3,304,118 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1863 50,652 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1864 2,033,644 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1865 2,287,612 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1866 3,652,608 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1867 4,984,886 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1868 4,040,021 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1869 5,046,192 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1870 6,639,847 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1871 6,875,035 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1872 13,416,378 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1873 5,515,073 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1874 12,795,726 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1875–1897: No rijksdaalders minted 1898 100,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark Wilhelmina 1899–1928: No rijksdaalders minted 1929 4,400,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark Silver content reduced to 72.0% 1930 11,600,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1931 4,720,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1932 6,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1933 3,560,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1934–1936: No rijksdaalders minted 1937 4,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1938 2,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1939 3,760,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1940 4,640,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1941–1942: No rijksdaalders minted 1943 2,000,000 Denver Letter D, privy mark 1944–1958: No rijksdaalders minted Juliana 1959 7,200,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark Diameter reduced to 33mm 1960 12,800,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1961 10,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1962 5,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1963 4,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1964 2,800,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1965: No rijksdaalders minted 1966 5,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1967–1968: No rijksdaalders minted 1969 15,720,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark Silver content removed. Diameter reduced to 29mm 1970 22,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1971 8,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1972 20,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1973–1977: No rijksdaalders minted 1978 5,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1979 5,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark Union of Utrecht circulating commemorative 1980 37,300,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 30,500,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark Beatrix and Juliana Abdication circulating commemorative 1981: No rijksdaalders minted Beatrix 1982 14,300,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1983 3,800,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1984 5,200,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1985 3,100,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1986 5,800,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1987 2,500,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1988 6,800,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1989 4,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1990 1,000,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1991 400,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1992 400,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1993 400,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1994 420,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1995 150,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1996 150,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1997 180,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1998 200,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 1999 240,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 2000 300,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 2001 600,000 Utrecht Utrecht Mint, privy mark 2002 none Discontinued due to introduction of the euro.
Former colonies The Dutch rijksdaalder and its local -guilder coin (or banknote) counterparts circulated during Indonesia's Dutch colonial period from 1602 until 1949 when it was replaced by the rupiah that would retain the 2½ denomination until 1975 when the last Rp2½ (a banknote issued in 1968) was demonetized. It was locally known as the ringgit.
The Netherlands United East India Company (VOC) issued the rijksdaalder in the Cape Colony in the 17th century. The Dutch monetary system overseas of a rijksdaalder – or rixdollar – of 48 stuiver was continued in the Cape Province by the British in the early nineteenth century.
In Ceylon, the VOC issued coins during the 18th century in denominations of and 1 duit, , 1, 2 and stuiver and 1 rijksdaalder. The currency derived from the Dutch rijksdaalder, although again the Dutch rijksdaalder was worth 50 stuiver and the Ceylon version 48 stuiver. After the British took over Ceylon and the rixdollar was the currency of Ceylon until 1828. The rixdollar was then replaced by the British pound at a rate of 1 rixdollar = 1 shilling 6 pence (£1 = rixdollars).
In Suriname, the Surinamese Rijksdaalder circulated until 2004, when the Surinamese guilder was replaced by the Surinamese dollar; the 250-cent coin, however, became revalued to SRD 2.50 and remains in circulation. In the former Netherlands Antilles, the rijksdaalder circulated until 2011: in that year the Netherlands Antillean guilder was replaced by the American dollar in the SABA municipalities, and the Caribbean guilder replaced the Antillean guilder in Curaçao and Sint Maarten in 2025.
Aruba, which still uses their own currency, mints an Aruban ƒ coin.
Similar coins The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rigsdaler were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, respectively.
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