Netherlands €5 2020. 75 Years of Freedom. Silver Proof

In 2019 and in 2020 the Netherlands is celebrating seventy-five years of freedom. The events started in 2019 in Terneuzen, a seaside city in the country’s southwest, when King Willem-Alexander rang the historic bell buoy. Seventy-five years ago, at the Battle of the Scheldt River, the bell-buoy was used to signal that the heavily-mined water was now safe for the passage of Allied supply ships. The festivities will end with the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations on October 24 in The Hague. World War II officially ended on May 5, 1945, but the liberation started earlier. On September 17, 1944 the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Gelderland were liberated by Allied forces during operation Market Garden.

The Royal Dutch Mint is striking three coins, identical in design but in three different metals, to mark the occasion. Designer Marijke van Warmerdam was inspired by the festivities of May 5th, so she incorporated a “jaunty ribbon” on each side of the coin. The reverse shows the number “75” in the form of a ribbon depicted in relief. The ribbon has a noticeable front and back side, respectively in matte and glossy finish, which suggests depth. The text “75 jaar vrijheid” on the reverse can be read in a single glance. The King’s portrait is created out of the same type of ribbon as on the reverse.

.925 silver    15.5 gm    33 mm    Proof   Mintage: 6,500