By Coin & Currency Institute ……
The Royal Dutch Mint’s first official Netherlands commemorative coins of 2019 are the Aviation 5 and 10 euros in honor of 100 years of Dutch aviation.
KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij or Royal Airline Company), NLR (National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands, a major technological institute) and aircraft manufacturer Fokker all celebrate their 100th anniversaries in 2019. In many ways, the three of them comprise the history of Dutch aviation.
The Mint says in a statement:
“In 100 years, aviation has made our world smaller and broadened our perspective. Borders and distances became smaller, which enriched our lives. People have always been obsessed with escaping the earth and looking at the world from the sky, just like a bird. Flying is something magical and aviation has developed revolutionarily over the past century. What once started with a dream is now a normal reality and accessible to many.”
As had been traditional with modern commemorative coins of the Netherlands, three coins are being issued: gold proof, silver proof, and silver-plated. This issue is the first time, however, that there are actually differences in the coins. When you place the three coins next to each other, you can see that the plane and its shadow are moving slightly each time – the plane is flying!
The ceremonial first strike will take place on March 14, 2019, and the coins will be available in the weeks after that. The mintage of the coin is strictly limited in silver proof, gold proof and in a special Prestige set. In addition, the coin will be available in brilliant uncirculated quality in a numbered coin card.
The proof .900 fine gold €10, weighing 6.72 grams and 22.5 mm in diameter, costs $495. It is limited to 1,000 pieces. A sterling silver, .925 fine proof weighing 15.5 grams, 33 mm in diameter, and restricted to 4,500 coins, is $65.75. An uncirculated €5 made of silver-plated copper is $17.95. It measures 29mm and weighs 10.5 grams. Mintage is 15,000. The 200 deluxe, four-piece Prestige sets with one of each of the three coins, shows the airplanes at different angles of flight. A one-ounce silver medal is included in the $665 price.
For more information on the coins or to order visit www.coin-currency.com or contact the Coin & Currency Institute, P.O. Box 399, Williston, VT 05495. Toll-free 1-800-421-1866. Fax 802-536-4787. E-mail: [email protected]. Add $5.75 per order for shipping and handling. Vermont residents should add 6% sales tax. Major credit cards are accepted.
KLM, the world’s oldest airline, was founded on October 7, 1919 by eight Dutch businessmen. It had been awarded “Royal”, or “Koninklijke”, status by Queen Wilhelmina a month earlier. Its first flight was from London to Amsterdam on May 17, 1920. Its first intercontinental flight was on October 1, 1924 from Amsterdam to Jakarta. Today, the airline is part of the Air France-KLM group. In 2017 its 204 aircraft and 34,872 employees transported 32.7 million passengers.
The NLR was founded on April 5, 1919 to increase safety in military aviation. It expanded with the growth of the civilian sector. Today it claims as its mission making “aerospace more sustainable, safer, more efficient and more effective.”
In 1912, Anthony Fokker founded his namesake company in Germany. He relocated it to the Netherlands in 1919.
The company reached its height in the 1920s and ’30s, but during World War II its factories were stripped by the Germans and destroyed by Allied bombs. It rebuilt after the war, concentrating on aircraft production and aerospace, but competition and high development costs finally forced it into bankruptcy on March 15, 1996. The company’s profitable aerospace unit continues to operate today as Fokker Technologies, concentrating on parts, systems and aircraft services.
