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1/2 Rijksdaalder `1/2 Leicesterrijksdaalder` 6 provinces
| Issuer | Province of Gelderland (Dutch Republic) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1587-1590 |
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| Currency | Gulden (1581-1795) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and armored half-length effigy of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, facing right, brandishing a sword over his right shoulder while clutching a bundle of arrows in his left hand, emblematic of the union of the seven provinces. The legend, commencing with a rose mintmark, encircles the bust within the outer border. The portrait is rendered in the vigorous, slightly irregular style characteristic of late sixteenth-century Dutch hammered coinage, with visible double-striking typical of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | CONCORDIA · RES · PARVÆ · CRESCV⁹ GEL · (Translation: With harmony small things grow Gelderland) |
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| Additional information |
This coin owes its existence to a diplomatic embarrassment. When Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, arrived in the Netherlands in 1586 as Elizabeth I's appointed Governor-General, one of his first acts was to authorize a new coinage in his own name — a move that immediately antagonized the Dutch provincial estates, who had not consented to it. The resulting political backlash contributed directly to his failed governorship and recall in 1587. These "Leicesterrijksdaalders," struck across six cooperating provinces, were produced in the narrow window before the monetary arrangements collapsed along with his authority.
Gelderland's issues under this series are among the more frequently encountered, though the 1587–1590 production window is tight enough that date-specific examples carry meaningful premium.