Owner Comments:
Netherlands East Indies - 1941P 1/4 G - KM #319 - Mintage: 34,947,000
This coin was minted by the Philadelphia mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and it even bears the "P" mint mark to the right of the date. It also has the Palm tree privy mark 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. The privy mark on those coins is an acorn. The Palm tree was used on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
It should be noted that the claim made on the U.S. Mint web site that 1942 was the first year that the Philadelphia mint identified itself on a coin using the "P" mint mark is clearly NOT true. The Philadelphia mint produced no less than four different coins in 1941 bearing a "P" mint mark. The others are the Netherlands East Indies 1/10G., and the 10 and 25 Cent coins minted for Curaçao and Suriname. To be completely accurate, the Philadelphia mint first identified itself on a coin intended for circulation 47 years earlier. "Philadelphia" is fully spelled out on the reverse of the Dos Decimos de Sucre minted for Ecuador in 1895!
This particular coin is softly struck in the date area of the obverse, but otherwise.well deserving of the grade.
Date acquired: 11/25/2015 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 12/1/2015