Numismatic

2025 Netherlands 1 oz Silver Parrot Duit PR-70 PCGS (FDI)

---

This modern silver release brings a fascinating chapter of colonial monetary history back to life. It is an official restrike of the famous 1679 Parrot Duit, a coin originally minted in copper with a diameter of about 20 millimeters. While the historic originals served as practical currency, this contemporary tribute is struck in one troy ounce of 0.999 fine silver. Authorized and guaranteed by the Royal Dutch Mint, this non-legal-tender issue carries official Dutch mint marks and is limited to a mintage of just 5,000 pieces. The imagery on this issue honors the very first coinage associated with Suriname, marking a half-century of the nation's independence. In the seventeenth century, parrots were selected to adorn these early coins, which represented specific quantities of sugar. Because sugar was a primary medium of exchange, the coins corresponded to one, two, or four pounds of the crop, with each pound valued at one stuiver. To help users easily identify the denomination, the design employed simple visual indicators: the number of leaves on the branch beneath the perched parrot showed the coin's value, ranging from one to four leaves. On the obverse of this silver restrike, a detailed parrot rests upon a leafy branch, mirroring the original denomination system. The reverse displays an intricate, decorative ornamental tree, a design that occasionally appeared on the backs of the historic copper pieces, which were otherwise often left blank. This modern silver tribute offers a captivating look at how natural resources and local wildlife once defined the physical currency of the Americas.