1791 COINS US COLONIAL VOC NEW YORK PENNY DUTCH DUIT NETHERLANDS INDIES HOLLAND

In the 1600’s, the “Golden Age” of Dutch history, the Netherlands became a great sea and colonial power. This was due, in no small part, to the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindishche Compagnie, or VOC, in Dutch). The VOC was the first company in the world to issue stock, and by 1669, it had become the richest private company the world had ever seen, with over 150 merchant ships, 40 warships, 50,000 employees, and a private army of 10,000 soldiers. The VOC assumed many of the functions of the government of the Netherlands, including minting coins, which circulated wherever the Dutch settled or traded.

Manhattan was discovered in 1609 (believe it or not, on September 11, 1609) by Henry Hudson, commander of the VOC ship, the Half Moon. The province of New Netherland (which later became the State of New York) was created in 1624. Its capital was New Amsterdam, which lay on the southern tip of Manhattan— “purchased” from the Indians by Peter Minuit for $24 in trade goods. Of course, the Indians had no concept of land ownership, and only later discovered what the Dutch had in mind when they were handing out trinkets. Because the Dutch were instrumental in the early development of New York, Dutch coinage joined the Spanish, Portuguese, and British coins that were used for daily transactions all over the American colonies. One of the coins used in old New York was the VOC copper duit, now popularly known as the “original New York penny.”