Owner Comments:
Curaçao - 1900 (Axe and Caduceus Privy Marks) 1/4 Gulden - KM #35 - Mintage: 480,000
1900 is the first year a coin was minted specifically for Curaçao by the Royal Dutch Mint. This coin contains two privy marks which identify the mint and the mint master.
The
halberd to the left of the date represents the mint master at the time the coin was minted. Hugo Laurens Adriaan van den Wall Bake served as the mint master from 1887 through 1909. For the uninitiated, a
halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It always has a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants. The halberd was usually 5 to 6 feet long. It is a two-handed pole weapon that was used during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.
The caduceus to the right of the date has been the mint mark of the dutch Royal Mint since 1816 and is present on most coins minted by the Utrecht mint. This mark is called "staff of Mercury" in dutch, referring to the God Mercury. He is often depicted with a staff and symbolizes trade and profit, hence it's relation with the mint. The wings on top of the staff, as well as the two snakes, refer to Mercury's Greek predecessor Hermes who is often seen with two wings on a helmet or on his sandals. This coin was minted by the Utrecht mint for circulation in the Dutch Colony of Curaçao.
This coin is not in my normal collecting sphere of interest, but it is part of the NGC Curaçao Registry set, so I decided to buy it when I saw it was available for a reasonable price.
Date acquired: 2/12/2021 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 2/13/2021