Catalog
1/2 Daalder
| Issuer | Siege of Haarlem (Dutch Republic) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1572 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered, Klippe |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the crowned shield of Haarlem bearing a sword erect flanked by four stars, all within a cartouche-shaped frame. Above the central arms, a smaller shield bearing the Holland lion rampant serves as the silversmith's mark of guarantee. Below the central device, the date 1572 appears in an incuse cartouche. The design is executed in a bold, rudimentary hammered style consistent with emergency siege coinage production. No surrounding legend is present, the entire composition being confined within the octagonal klippe flan. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Haarlem held out against Spanish forces for seven months before surrendering in July 1573. During the siege, the city's authorities struck emergency coinage from whatever silver was available — church plate, domestic objects, confiscated valuables — melted down and roughly worked into coin blanks. The resulting pieces are irregular in both weight and fineness, a direct consequence of the desperate and improvised nature of their production.
This half daalder is one of the earlier obsidional issues, struck while the city still had organized municipal authority. After the surrender, Spanish commander Fadrique de Toledo executed a large portion of the garrison.