2016-08-12 Fri

On 4th August, Netherlands issued 5 Gulden silver and 10 Gulden gold coins to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of George John Lionel Maduro (1916 –1945), one of the greatest wartime heroes of the country. He was the only person form the Antillean descent who was awarded Knight 4th-class of the Military Order of William- the oldest and highest honour of the kingdom.

He was born in Curacao in and came to the Netherlands to study law before Second World War. Maduro was serving as the second-lieutenant-reserve in the Dutch Cavalry when Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. He was posted at the Dutch hussars in the Hague as a reserve officer. Under Maduro’s command, Nazi ground troops were defeated. On May 15, Maduro was captured and jailed in a local hotel in Scheveningen. Maduro was against the Nazi occupation forces who wanted all Jews to wear the Star of David. He became an active member of the resistance movement. He was jailed again because of his notorious activities but managed to escape and rejoin the Dutch resistance. He was transferred to the Dachau concentration camp and in February 1945, Maduro died of typhus. George Maduro has had a street named after him as well.

The coins features a portrait of Maduro dressed in his formal uniform, inspired by a 1940 photograph. An image of his birthplace in Willemstad is seen on the background. Other inscriptions include ‘GEORGE JOHN LIONEL MADURO’ along with dates of birth and death. The reverse features the crest of the Netherlands Antilles, the denomination and year of issue.

The mintage limit of the silver coins is 750 pieces and that of the gold coins is 500 pieces.