Redeeming guilder bills

Since the introduction of the euro in 2002, the guilder bills, which were once so familiar in the Netherlands, lost their official payment status. Yet guilder bills are still found in attics, in old books or when clearing out estates. If you have a collection of old guilder bills found/acquired (in an inheritance) and you wonder if you can still redeem them, you've come to the right place. In this blog, we discuss how and where to exchange guilder bills and What is important to know in that.

Can you still exchange guilder bills?

Yes, guilder bills can still be exchanged for euros. However, it is important to note that this only applies to guilder bills; guilder coins cannot be exchanged since 2005.

Where can you exchange guilder bills?

Guilder bills can be redeemed at the office of the Dutch Central Bank in Amsterdam. The bank has a specific arrangement for this purpose and a particular process. To redeem your guilder bills, you have to go in person or use an (insured) mail delivery service to send the bills to DNB. Also, there are rules of DNB To still be allowed to redeem them. For more information, see their own website. According to DNB, guilder bills purchased during the euro period can no longer be returned.

What bills can be redeemed?

Not all paper guilders can be redeemed; they must be bills that are in circulation between 1966 and 2002 have been. Here are some examples of bills that can still be redeemed:

The Sunflower bill of 50 guilders

The Snip bill of 100 guilders

The Lighthouse bill of 250 guilders

There are also older bills which can no longer be redeemed because their redemption period has expired or because they before 1945 were issued. Bills printed before World War II were withdrawn from the payment system. De bills 25 Gulden Sweelinck, the 5 Gulden Vondel I and the 5 Gulden Vondel II can still be handed in until May 1, 2025, after which they cannot be handed in. Often the non-exchangeable bills have yet well a collector's value and it may be useful to have it appraised. Mint store David-coin will be happy to help you with a free valuation. No obligation sale is also possible.

Fun fact

To this day, millions of guilder bills have not been returned to the central bank. It involves 34 million guilder bills with a total value of 425 million euros.

What is the exchange rate?

The fixed exchange rate used is 1 euro = 2.20371 guilders. This means that, for example, for a 100 guilder bill, about 45.38 euros is the face value is. This exchange rate has remained unchanged since the introduction of the euro.

1 euro = 2.20371 guilders

Guilder bills as collectibles

Redeeming guilder bills for euros is not always the best choice, especially if you have rare or particularly well-preserved bills have. Some old bills have a higher value to collectors than their face value. Before you decide to redeem them, it may be worth consulting an appraiser or coin dealer. Check out some examples below.

In our webshop you will find guilder bills in these different qualities, with corresponding price differences.

Conclusion

Although the guilder has not been legal tender for more than 20 years, can the guilder bills still have collection value and/or collector value. Whether you found old bills during a clearance or received an inheritance, it is relatively easy to convert them into euros. Request a no-obligation valuation from us For the value of your old guilder bills and/or coins.