Aruba KM#57 2½ Florin 2014-2016 XF (random year)
Aruba KM#57 2½ Florin 2014-2016 XF (random year)
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The Aruba 2½ Florin is the rarest denomination in everyday Aruban coinage — struck for just three years, from 2014 to 2016, before being discontinued. The largest and heaviest coin in the florin circulation series, it shares the same design as the 1 Florin: the Coat of Arms of Aruba on the obverse and a portrait of King Willem-Alexander on the reverse, with an inscribed edge reading GOD * ZIJ * MET * ONS *. With only three date years and two mint master marks possible, this is the most date-specific coin in the Aruban series.
Obverse
- Colors: bright nickel-silver overall; matte field with raised devices
- Design: Coat of Arms of Aruba to the right; denomination 2 1/2 FLORIN and date to the left; state name ARUBA above
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 — Sailboat (Maarten Theodoor Brouwer, Mint Master) — in sets only; mintage 1,500
- 2015 — Sailboat (Maarten Theodoor Brouwer, Mint Master)
- 2016 — Sailboat (Maarten Theodoor Brouwer, Mint Master)
- 2016 — Sailboat with star (Kees Bruinsma, Acting Mint Master)
- Catalog numbers: KM# 57; Schön# 52; Numista N#70652
- Composition: Nickel plated steel
- Weight: 10.3 g
- Diameter: 30 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
Three Years and Done
The 2½ Florin KM#57 was introduced in 2014 alongside the 1 Florin KM#56 as part of the new Willem-Alexander coinage series, and discontinued after just 2016. No explanation has been officially published for its short run, but the denomination — worth roughly $1.40 USD — likely saw limited practical use in a tourism-driven economy where US dollars and credit cards dominate transactions. The result is a coin with a very narrow date range: only three years and two mint master marks (sailboat and sailboat-with-star), making it the most constrained variety set in the entire Aruban circulation series. The 2014 issue was struck exclusively for mint sets with a mintage of just 1,500.
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 2½ Florin — facing right, in the classical tradition of European coinage — appears on the largest coin in the Aruban circulation series.
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. The 2½ Florin shares this feature with the 1 Florin — the only two Aruban circulation coins with inscribed edges.
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 largest piece of Aruban circulation coinage — a 30 mm disc struck for just three years before the denomination was quietly retired. 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.
Buy with Confidence
- You will receive (a) banknote(s) similar to the one in the picture, in the condition mentioned in the listing title such as UNC, VF, etc. See below for definitions.
- Serial numbers will vary
- Authenticity: All banknotes are guaranteed genuine currency, sourced from reliable suppliers and verified by our team. Exception: some souvenir and gold foil notes that are clearly marked as souvenir, fantasy, gold foil, etc.
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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.