Gold guilder, William V of Bavaria, count of Holland; first gold coin of the County of Holland

Coins have been used as a means of payment in the Netherlands for about two thousand years. The more trade and services increase, the more important coins become and the greater their number. Coins are also handy: they are made of metal ranging from precious gold to simple copper and thus can be kept and used for a long time. They are small and therefore conveniently portable. Coins also frequently have an official character: they are issued by or on behalf of the government, often with an effigy of a prince or a state symbol. In this way coins are standardized and their value guaranteed.