Owner Comments:
Netherlands East Indies - 1945P/S 1 Cent - KM #317 variety unlisted - Mintage: 335,000,000
184,003,000 minted in 1945
150,997,000 minted in 1946, but still dated 1945
Obverse: 3/4 spray around hole in center with value below.
Obverse Legend: NEDERLANDSCH INDIE (Netherlands Indies) and date
Reverse: Arabic text reiterating the denomination of the coin with flowers below hole.
Reverse Legend: Javanese text reiterating the denomination of the coin.
Edge: Plain
This coin was minted by the Philadelphia mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and normally bears the "P" mint mark just below the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark (to the left of the denomination) which was used by the Dutch mints to distinguish similar looking coinage intended for the colonies from that intended for circulation in the The Netherlands where the acorn privy mark was used. The Palm Tree appears on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
An interesting characteristic of the One Cent coins in this series is that they appear to be struck with medalic rotation while all of the other denominations struck for the Netherlands East Indies were struck with the normal "coin" rotation.
Varieties often accompany a huge mintage. This particular coin is the rare P over S mint mark variety. It has been know among collectors for quite some time, but is not currently cataloged by K&M. This is the first of its type to be certified by either PCGS or NGC, and as of this revision is still the only one to have been graded by either NGC or PCGS. It's not a particularly attractive coin, but it is the only one of this variety I've ever seen, and I've been looking for another since I acquired this one in 2007.
Date acquired: 6/20/2007 (raw coin)
Date graded: 9/29/2018 (self submitted to NGC)
Rev. 12/5/2018