Owner Comments:
Netherlands - 1945P (Acorn) 25 Cents - KM #164 - Mintage: less than 92,000,000 (Nearly all were returned to the mint for melting)
These coins are listed in the U.S. mint report with a mintage of 92,000,000, however this number may also include coins dated 1944. The fiscal reporting year for the U.S. Mint runs from July 1, 1944 through June 30, 1945, so the exact mintage for each year is often difficult to determine accurately. Identical coins bearing a palm tree privy mark in place of the acorn were minted for use in Curaçao and Suriname in 1941 and 1943.
The 1945P (Acorn) 25 Cents is a very rare coin. According to Altz and Barten in their book
Foreign Coins Struck at United States Mints, it is likely that all of the coins struck for the Netherlands dated 1945P and 1944D were never officially released, and according to one source, these coins were sent back to Philadelphia and melted. The resulting silver was then used as a lend lease payment to the United States.
Clearly, some of these coins did survive. According to Krause, the 1945P 25 Cents is the most common of these phantom coins.
This particular coin is a well preserved example of this rare date. As of this revision, there has only been one graded higher by NGC.
Date acquired: 1/25/2018 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 2/3/2018