Owner Comments:
Netherlands East Indies - 1945P 1/2 Cent - KM #314.2 - Mintage: 400,000,000
Obverse: Crowned Shield from the coat of arms dividing the date
Obverse Legend: NEDERLANDSCH INDIE (Netherlands Indies), denomination below
Reverse: Arabic text reiterating the denomination of the coin.
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 it even bears the "P" mint mark just below the "45" in the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark ( below the "19" in the date) 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.
The primary element on the obverse is the central shield from the Dutch coat of arms topped by the Dutch royal crown. The background (field) of the shield is azure which is a dark royal blue that is represented by horizontal lines in engraving. Also part of the background is gold billetty which are vertically oriented gold blocks, twice as long as they are wide, arranged in rows but not directly underneath each other. A hatched pattern of dots is used in engraving to represent the gold color of the billets. The lion is rampant (standing on his back legs), crowned with a coronet, and is also gold with a red tongue and red claws. In his sinister (left front) paw he is holding seven silver arrows bound together with a gold ribbon, representing the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht. In his dexter (right front) paw he is brandishing a silver sword with a golden hilt representing the determination to defend their liberty.
These coins must not have been very popular with the public, because full red mint state examples are as common as grains of sand on a beach. Full red, unblemished, high grade examples though are much more rare. PCGS has graded 3 in MS67RD and NGC has graded 2 in MS67 and one in MS68RD. This coin is probably as good as I'll be able to find. It is a very well struck, full red coin with minimal distracting marks in either the field or devices.
Date acquired: 7/30/2017 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 4/21/2020