Why did Netherlands (Pre-Euro) discontinue 1/2 Gulden coins?

After Netherlands stopped minting silver coins, I noticed there never was a 50 Cent or 1/2 Gulden coin up to the Euro. They skip straight to 1 Gulden after the 25 Cents denomination. There are a few other countries who did the same thing, Barbados is one of them, but forgot which others did.

 

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They are released such coins for Aruba.

 

I'm guessing people were just not using them, kind of like US half dollars.

 

The issue of the 1/2 gulden coin had no relation with the termination of the minting of silver coins.
Minting of silver coins ended in 1967. The silver 1/2 gulden had not been issued since 1930.

 

Many Dutch denominations were minted in "intervals", depending on demand, I suppose. The half gulden coin, for example, had such a break between 1868 and 1904 (with the only exception of 1898). My guess is that the high mintage volumes of 1922 and 1929/30 were sufficient for the following years ... and ten years later the country was occupied by Nazi Germany anyway.

Christian

 

Tried to look u some Dutch sources on the subject. No official reason for stopping of minting after 1930 is given. Newspaper articles from the time do give some insight. The beginning of the thirties was a period of recession. The half-guilder was not used much in the Netherlands (production was more aimed at the dutch east-indies). Because of the recession people were massively hoarding silver coinage. It was said that there were more 1/2 guldens kept in socks than in circulation. This may have contributed to the decision not to produce any more.
At the beginning of WWII the German occupation ordered all silver coinage invalid and to be handed over to the authorities (Which nobody did).
In 1947 there was a discussion whether the post-war coinage had to be silver again because of high silver prices at that time. Ultimately the decision was made to mint only 1 and 2.5 gulden coins from silver (but smaller than pre-war sizes). Production of 1/2 gulden coins was not restarted.

 

Well the lower denominations were pure nickel issues from 1948-2001. I know the 1 Gulden and 2.5 Gulden coins definitely were silver until the late 60's (I own some of them). I should have clarified before that when the low denominations switched to Nickel, the 50 Cent piece disappeared from circulation. (for unknown reasons)