Derde gesticht van de kolonie Veenhuizen, huismunt geslagen op last van de Maatschappij van Weldadigheid ter waarde van twintig cent 1818 - 1859

This coin, commissioned by the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid, embodies the spirit of social reform. Stamped into the metal are the letters 'K.V.,' representing the Kolonie Veenhuizen, a planned community intended to rehabilitate the poor through agriculture and discipline. The very act of minting a local currency speaks to the community's isolation and self-reliance. This harkens back to ancient times, where money was not merely a medium of exchange, but also a symbol of power and identity. Consider the coins of ancient Greece, each city-state proudly displaying its emblem, forging a collective identity through a shared symbol. But here, in Veenhuizen, the coin's message is more complex. It represents a controlled economy, a system of exchange within a contained environment. The emotional weight of this currency lies in its duality: a promise of self-sufficiency intertwined with the reality of institutional control. This tension speaks to the deep, often subconscious, anxieties surrounding social reform and the delicate balance between assistance and coercion.