Kolonie Veenhuizen, huismunt geslagen op last van de Maatschappij van Weldadigheid ter waarde van 1 cent 1818 - 1859

This is a coin from the Veenhuizen penal colony, commissioned by the Society of Benevolence. The Society of Benevolence was a Dutch organization founded in 1818 during a time of widespread poverty and social upheaval following the Napoleonic Wars. It established agricultural colonies like Veenhuizen, with the aim of re-educating the poor and vagrants into productive citizens through forced labor. Think of it as a prototype for modern social engineering, where the most vulnerable are subjected to a system that seeks to reform them. The letters on the coin, KMV, stand for Kolonie Maatschappij Veenhuizen. These tokens weren't just currency; they symbolized control and dependency, reminding residents of their place in this manufactured society. Holding this coin, one can imagine the daily lives of those within the colony, each transaction a stark reminder of their confinement and the society's ambition to redefine their very being.