Owner Comments:
Mintage: 453,696 total, of which 344,925 are the variety "pearls free from edge."
Weight 6.7290 g. Purity 900 fine. Diameter 22.5 mm.
Gold content: 0.1947 ounce.
Wilhelmina was born August 31, 1880, and became queen of the Netherlands on November 23, 1890, upon the death of her father, Willem III. The coin was designed by W. J. Schammer using an image of Wilhelmina from a photograph taken by Adolphe Zimmermans in 1891 when Wilhelmina was eleven years old.
This example's variety is "pearls free from edge," that is, 163 circular beads ("pearls") on the reverse side are near the rim but are set off from the rim. On 1897's other variety, called "pearls fixed on edge," the "pearls" are 145 u-shaped denticles extending inward from the rim. Please see my Custom Set for my NGC MS-66 example of "pearls fixed on edge." "Pearls fixed on edge" is also seen by clicking on the "Price Guide Value: View" on this page, above right.
Out of 453,696 total coins minted, 108,771 coins (24%) were minted with "pearls fixed on edge" and 344,925 coins (76%) were minted with "pearls free from edge." In the order of minting, the "fixed" coins were minted first, then the design was modified and the "free" coins were minted second.
The distinction in the pearls applies only to the reverse side of the coin and not to the obverse side where all coins have "pearls free from edge."