Wartime folk art appears on Dutch silver coin Comes from: Wartime folk art appears on Dutch silver coin "Numismatic relics of World War II" - "examples of Dutch resistance against the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Queen Wilhelmina and the royal family fled to safety aboard a British destroyer to the United Kingdom after German forces swept across the border on May 10, 1940. Nazis tried to remove the image of Wilhelmina from public life but, as a small act of defiance, Dutch residents turned coins depicting the exiled ruler into jewelry and, in some cases, created numismatic folk art: silver circulation coins from the era feature carvings from an unknown artist or artists. In those days, silver was scarce and expensive." "These objets d’art usually were carved to show the queen wearing a Dutch army helmet, with the normal legend on the coin modified. Instead of WILHELMINA KONINGIN DER NEDERLANDEN (or Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands) — they usually read WILHELMINA IN LONDEN, or sometimes LONDON, a reference to the English hosting the Dutch royal family. One such example, a 2.5-guilder or Rijksdaalder host coin dated 1930, shows the queen wearing a helmet. "
Slightly different... (but I think still probably with the same or similar intent) "1944 Curacao Wilhelmina Coin Earrings" For example i.e. 1944 Curacao Wilhelmina Coin Earrings Two 1944 Netherlands Curacao 1/4 Gulden coins (each about the size of a US dime) were transformed into these lovely screw back earrings. About the coins: -they are demonetized (the coins are no longer currency) -the obverse side (that which shows the head or principal design) shows Queen Wilhelmina bust facing left, surrounding Dutch text which reads "WILHELMINA KONINGIN DER NEDERLANDEN" Translation: WILHELMINA QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS - the reverse side has the value in center surrounded by text in Dutch. Date below. Palm tree at 8 o'clock and mint mark at 4 o'clock. -Coins issued by the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a palm tree mark were minted in the United States (at the Denver mint) to be circulated in the overseas territories of the Kingdom. The coins in these earrings were minted in the US. -The 1/4 Gulden was produced from 1944-1947, and they are 19mm in diameter. -Primary metal is silver, 640 (64%)
