Netherlands Antillean guilder facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Netherlands Antillean guilder
Final series 10 guilder note, in circulation 2009 Final series 100 guilder note, in circulation 2009
ISO 4217 Code	ANG
User(s)	Curaçao and  Sint Maarten until 30 June 2025  Netherlands Antilles until 10 October 2010 Script error: The function "" does not exist. until 1 January 2011
Inflation	3.6%
Source	Bank van de Nederlandse Antillen, 2006 Q1
Method	CPI
Pegged with	U.S. dollar = ƒ1.79
Subunit
1⁄100	cent
Symbol	NAƒ, NAf, ƒ or f
Plural	guilders
cent	cents
Coins	1, 5, 10, 25, 50 cent, ƒ1, ƒ2+1⁄2, ƒ5
Banknotes
Freq. used	ƒ10, ƒ25, ƒ50, ƒ100
Printer	Joh. Enschedé

The Netherlands Antillean guilder (called gulden in Dutch and florin in Papiamentu) was the money used in the Netherlands Antilles. Later, it became the currency for Curaçao and Sint Maarten. These islands, along with Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, were once part of the Netherlands Antilles until 2010.

The guilder was divided into 100 smaller units called cents. On January 1, 2011, Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius started using the United States dollar instead of the guilder.

For Curaçao and Sint Maarten, a new currency called the Caribbean guilder was planned. After some delays, this new money was officially launched on March 31, 2025. The old Netherlands Antillean guilders were still accepted for a short time, but they were officially taken out of use on June 30, 2025.

What's in a Name?

In Papiamentu, a language spoken in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, the guilder was known as a "florin". The official code for the Netherlands Antillean guilder was ANG. The "AN" came from the old code for the Netherlands Antilles. The "G" stood for Gulden. Sometimes, people used "NAFl" as a shorter way to say Netherlands Antillean Florin.

A Brief History of the Guilder

Early Money in the Antilles

In the 1700s, the Dutch guilder was used in the Netherlands Antilles. In 1794, special coins were made just for the Dutch islands in the West Indies. Back then, one guilder was worth 20 stuiver.

Between 1799 and 1828, a different type of money called the reaal was used. One reaal was equal to 6 stuiver. In 1828, the Dutch guilder came back, and it was divided into 100 cents.

New Coins and Banknotes

Later, money was made specifically for Curaçao. The first banknotes appeared in 1892, and coins followed in 1900. The name "Netherlands Antilles" was first used for the currency in 1952.

In 1940, during World War II, the Netherlands was occupied by Germany. Because of this, the Netherlands Antillean guilder was no longer linked to the Dutch currency. Instead, it was tied to the United States dollar. At first, 1.88585 guilders equaled 1 U.S. dollar. This changed in 1971 to 1.79 guilders for 1 dollar.

Changes and New Currencies

In 1986, Aruba became a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba then started using its own money, the Aruban florin, which replaced the Netherlands Antillean guilder.

In 2011, after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius switched to using the United States dollar. The Netherlands Antillean guilder was no longer valid money there.

Curaçao and Sint Maarten also planned to get a new currency. They stopped making the old Antillean guilder. In November 2019, it was confirmed that the Caribbean guilder would be introduced. The Central Bank announced this a year later. The new guilder was finally introduced on March 31, 2025. The Netherlands Antillean guilder remained legal tender until June 30, 2025.

Coins of the Guilder

A one cent coin from 1998.

In 1794, silver coins were made for the Dutch West Indies. These included coins worth 2 stuiver, 1⁄4, 1, and 3 guilders. In 1828, the Dutch guilder returned. Some 1-guilder coins were even cut into quarters and marked with a "C" in 1838 to make 1⁄4-guilder coins.

In the early 1900s, silver 1⁄10 and 1⁄4-guilder coins were introduced. These were used alongside Dutch coins. After the link to the Dutch currency was broken in 1940, new coins were made. A bronze 1-cent coin came out in 1942, followed by a cupro-nickel 5-cent coin in 1943. Bronze 2+1⁄2 cent and silver 1 and 2+1⁄2 guilders were introduced in 1944. These coins were made in the United States and had special marks like "P" or "D" and sometimes a small palm tree.

From 1952, the coins had "Nederlandse Antillen" written on them. In 1970, nickel replaced silver in the coins. In 1989, new coins were introduced made of different metals. These included 1 and 5 cents (aluminum), 10 and 25 cents (nickel-bonded-steel), and 50 cents, 1 and 2+1⁄2 guilders (aureate-steel). A 5-guilder coin made of aureate-steel was added in 1998.

		The five-guilder coin was made from a golden-colored steel. It had eight sides to help people tell it apart from the similar one-guilder coin. One side showed Beatrix of the Netherlands, and the other side had the coat of arms of the Netherlands Antilles.
		The one-guilder coin was also made from golden-colored steel. It showed Beatrix of the Netherlands on one side and the coat of arms of the Netherlands Antilles on the other.
		The 50-cent coin was shaped like a diamond. This was a unique shape for modern Antillean coins, though an older five-cent coin also had this shape.

Gallery of Coins

• 

  1 cent

• 

  5 cent (stuiver)

• 

  10 cent (dubbeltje)

• 

  25 cent (kwartje)

• 

  50 cent

• 

  1 gulden

• 

  2½ gulden (rijksdaalder)

• 

  5 gulden

Banknotes of the Guilder

In 1892, the Curaçaosche Bank started printing banknotes. These were for 25 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2+1⁄2 guilders. Later, in 1900, notes for 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 guilders were introduced. The 1 and 2+1⁄2 guilder notes were stopped for a while but brought back in 1942 by the government.

From 1954, the name "Nederlandse Antillen" appeared on the back of the banknotes. In 1962, the bank's name changed to the Bank van de Nederlandse Antillen. New designs for notes started appearing in 1969. These notes featured the Statuut monument instead of an allegorical woman. They also had a new coat of arms on the back. The 500 guilder note was no longer issued after 1962. The 5 and 250 guilder notes were stopped after 1998, and the 5 guilder note was replaced by a coin.

Image	Notes
	The 10 guilder note showed a hummingbird. It had special security features like a foil tag and a hidden hologram under the hummingbird.
	The 25 guilder note featured a Caribbean flamingo. It also had a foil tag and a hologram under the flamingo for security.
	The 50 guilder note had a rufous-collared sparrow on it. Like the others, it included a foil tag and a hologram under the sparrow.
	The 100 guilder note showed a bananaquit. It had security features like a foil tag and a hologram under the bananaquit.

See Also

• Economy of the Netherlands Antilles
• Central banks and currencies of the Caribbean