1/2 Shilling

Gelderland's monetary output in the early 1580s was severely disrupted by the ongoing Dutch Revolt. The province had recently shifted its political allegiance — formally joining the Union of Utrecht in 1579 — and its mint was operating under pressure to produce functional small coinage for a territory still contested by Spanish forces. Half shillings of this period were workhorses of local trade, not prestige issues, and survivors in any meaningful grade are scarcer than the series suggests at first glance.

The HPM reference for this type remains incomplete in most standard catalogues, which itself reflects how poorly documented Gelderland's fractional silver output from this decade has been.