Aruba KM#56 1 Florin 2014-2026 XF (Extra Fine, random year)
The Aruba 1 Florin is the mid-denomination coin in the Willem-Alexander florin series — and one of three coins to bear a royal portrait. Issued from 2014 onward under King Willem-Alexander, it replaced the earlier Beatrix florin and features a distinctive inscribed edge reading GOD * ZIJ * MET * ONS * (God be with us), shared with the 2½ and 5 Florin denominations. Year and mint mark are random; see the Varieties section for the full list of possible mint master marks.
Obverse
- Colors: bright nickel-silver overall; matte field with raised devices
- Design: Coat of Arms of Aruba with state name ARUBA, face value 1 FLORIN, year, and mint marks
Reverse
- Colors: bright nickel-silver; detailed portrait with fine engraving
- Portrait: Bust of King Willem-Alexander facing right
- Legend: WILLEM - ALEXANDER / KONING DER NEDERLANDEN (King of the Netherlands)
Other Characteristics
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Varieties: you may receive any variety:
- 2014–2015 — Sailboat (Maarten Theodoor Brouwer, Mint Master)
- 2015–2016 — Sailboat with star (Kees Bruinsma, Acting Mint Master)
- 2017–2021 — Bridge (Stephan Satijn, Mint Master)
- 2022–date — Bird (Bert van Ravenswaaij, Mint Master)
- Catalog numbers: KM# 56; Schön# 51; Numista N#67081
- Composition: Nickel plated steel
- Weight: 8.5 g
- Diameter: 26 mm
- Thickness: 2.35 mm
- Shape: Round
- Edge: Smooth with inscription — GOD * ZIJ * MET * ONS * (God be with us)
- Orientation: Coin alignment (↑↓)
- Issuing entity: Centrale Bank van Aruba
- Mint: Royal Dutch Mint (Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt), Utrecht, Netherlands
- Privy mark: Utrecht mint mark (caduceus/staff) present on all issues
- Currency: Aruban florin (1986–date)
- Official language(s): Papiamento, Dutch
The King on the Coin
Willem-Alexander (1967–date) became King of the Netherlands on 30 April 2013, when his mother Queen Beatrix abdicated after 33 years on the throne. He is the first Dutch king in 123 years — the Netherlands had been ruled by queens since 1890. A water management engineer by training, he holds a degree from Leiden University and has worked extensively with the United Nations on global water issues. His portrait on the Aruban florin — facing right, in the classical tradition of European coinage — marks a generational shift in Dutch numismatics. The Aruba 1 Florin was among the first Caribbean coins to carry his likeness after his accession.
The Inscribed Edge: A Royal Tradition
The edge inscription GOD * ZIJ * MET * ONS * — God be with us — is a motto of the House of Orange-Nassau and appears on Dutch coinage going back centuries. On the Aruban florin coins it serves a practical purpose as well: the inscribed edge makes the higher-denomination coins immediately distinguishable by touch from the plain-edged lower denominations (5, 10, and 25 cents). The 1 Florin shares this feature with the 2½ and 5 Florin — the three Aruban circulation coins with inscribed edges.
Reading the Mint Marks: The Willem-Alexander Era
The 1 Florin KM#56 was introduced in 2014, so it carries only the four mint master marks of the Willem-Alexander era — a narrower range than the lower denominations that date back to 1986. The sailboat of Maarten Theodoor Brouwer appears on the earliest issues; the current mark is the bird of Bert van Ravenswaaij (2022–date). Acting mint masters are identified by a star added to the incumbent's mark — a Dutch numismatic tradition dating back centuries. The coin you receive will carry one of these four marks.
About Aruba
- Origin of name: Disputed — possibly from the Arawak words ora ubao ("well-situated") or oruba ("accompanied by wind"); the Spanish also used isla de oro (island of gold), though no significant gold was found
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Capital: Oranjestad — pop. ~35,000 (2023)
- Origin of name: Dutch for "Orange City," named after the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family
- Population: ~107,000 (UN 2023) — roughly the size of Peoria, Illinois
- Area: 180 km² (69 mi²) — roughly the size of Washington, D.C.
- GDP per capita (PPP): ~$37,000 (IMF est.) — one of the highest in the Caribbean
- Main exports: Tourism services (~90% of GDP); refined petroleum products (historically); aloe vera
- Borders: None — island nation; nearest neighbors are Venezuela (~29 km south) and Curaçao (~68 km east)
- Official/spoken languages: Papiamento (native creole, primary spoken language); Dutch (official, government and education); English and Spanish widely spoken
- Ethnicities: Mixed Aruban (predominantly Arawak, African, and European descent, ~75%); Dutch and other European (~15%); Latin American (~10%)
- Memberships: Kingdom of the Netherlands (constituent country, 1986–date); CARICOM (observer); ACS (associate member)
- Sovereignty: Status Aparte within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1 January 1986; not independent — Dutch citizens, Dutch passport, Dutch monarch as head of state
Own this coin and hold the face of a reigning king — a 26 mm disc of nickel-plated steel bearing the first Dutch monarch in over a century, struck in Utrecht and circulated in the Caribbean sun. The year and mint mark you receive are a surprise; the quality is not.
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Who is World Money Store?
World Money Store is me, Βrian Grοss, the sole proprietor of this small business, based in Washington D.C. I've spend half my adult life in The Netherlands and Mexico and have an addiction to travel, history and languages (Spanish, Dutch Russian and a few others); Arabic my current challenge. My personal instagram is @df2dc.
I've been on ebay for 22 years, and I am also on Whatnot. I put together the website myself, and do all the purchasing.
I travel around the world to personally select a range of banknotes that I KNOW match the interests of my customers, and by traveling to the right places, I get them at the best prices, too.
I have three main groups of customers:
1. the ones who love diverse colorful and affordable notes from around the world
2. those who love to own pieces of the propaganda of communist dictatorships (Cuba, North Korea) and "bad guys" like the Ayatollah, Saddam, Gadaffi. Iran (Shah, Ayatollah), Syria (Assad, current).
3. those who seek Venezuelan and Iranian currency. We sell banknotes for collecting purposes only (our intention).
I happen to have a lot of depth and breadth in Mexico and Brazil, in addition to Cuba and Iran.
I don't focus on anything from the U.S. and Canada, items from before World War II, "lucky" serial numbers, or PMG-graded items.
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Banknote Condition Guide (UNC, XF, VF, F etc.)
- UNC (Uncirculated): No folds/creases; full crispness/sheen. May have "half moon" at edge of security thread.
- AU (About Uncirculated): Nearly perfect, with a single light fold or handling mark that doesn't break the paper. Crisp and colorful.
- XF a.k.a. EF (Extremely Fine): Crisp, firm, bright; a few light folds or one firm crease.
- VF Plus: Minor folds/stains; white areas are bright, still not quite Extra Fine.
- VF (Very Fine): Several folds; paper firmer than average; corners lightly worn.
- VF Minus: VF but may show foxing (yellow/brown patches), thinner paper, more folds/wrinkles/small tears (1-3 mm), otherwise intact.
- F (Fine): Well-used, many folds or creases; paper is soft; some soiling and/or pen marks.
- VG (Very Good) / Limp/worn/faded with heavy creasing/edge wear/tears.