Type details
| Country | Netherlands |
| Currency | NLG |
| Denomination | 10 |
| Series | 1997 Series |
| Series year | 1997 |
| Series range | 1997-2002 |
| Issue year | 1997 |
| Issuer | De Nederlandsche Bank |
| Signatures | President: W.F. Duisenberg; Secretary: M.R. Enthoven |
| Printer | Joh. Enschedé en Zonen |
| Engraver | R.D.E. Oxenaar |
| Reverse subject | Abstract avocet (kluut) bird |
| Themes | wildlife,indigenous_culture |
| Watermark | Abstract avocet (kluut) bird head design in clear field at right |
| Security features | microprint,intaglio,latent_image,see_through_register,optically_variable_ink |
| Colour palette | #9db3d1,#f5e6c8,#2e4c7a |
| Material | paper |
| Dimensions (mm) | 140x68 |
| Language / script | Latin |
| Languages | nl |
| Pick # | 99 |
| Rarity | common |
| Legal status | demonetized |
| Legal status date | 2002-01-28 |
| Successor currency | Euro |
| Era | 1990_present |
| Default value (low) | 5.0 |
| Default value (high) | 15.0 |
| Value currency | EUR |
Front
Abstract geometric design featuring intricate guilloché patterns forming interlocking circular shapes in blue and beige tones. This modernist design series, created by artist R.D.E. Oxenaar, marked a radical departure from traditional portrait-based banknotes and was the final guilder series before the euro transition. The denomination '10' appears prominently in blue. The text includes anti-counterfeiting warnings in Dutch referencing Article 208 of the Penal Code. Serial number 2188515258 appears twice.
Back
The avocet (kluut, scientific name Recurvirostra avosetta) depicted in abstract geometric form with the bird's distinctive upturned bill rendered as a black shape against a cream circle with yellow dots. The avocet is a distinctive black-and-white wading bird found in Dutch coastal wetlands and polders. The bird name 'IJSVOGEL ALCEDO ATTHIS ISPIDA' actually refers to the kingfisher (different from the avocet design shown), part of Oxenaar's nature theme. The modernist composition includes geometric patterns, arrows, and stylized industrial/natural elements. Text 'STEKEL BAARS' (stickleback fish) appears in a circular emblem at left.
History
This 10 guilder note belongs to the final series of Dutch banknotes issued before the Netherlands adopted the euro on January 1, 2002 (with a dual-circulation period ending January 28, 2002, after which guilders were demonetized). The 1997 series, designed by R.D.E. Oxenaar, featured abstract modernist designs based on Dutch nature themes rather than historical portraits—a controversial artistic choice that made these notes among the most distinctive in European currency history. Each denomination depicted different Dutch wildlife (birds and fish) in highly stylized geometric form. The series was printed by Joh. Enschedé en Zonen, the Dutch state printing house. The date 'JULI 1997' is printed on the reverse. Signatures are those of W.F. Duisenberg (who later became the first president of the European Central Bank) and M.R. Enthoven. These notes are now collectors' items representing the final chapter of Dutch monetary sovereignty before euro adoption.
Linked specimens (1)
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