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1 Crown
| Issuer | Middelburg, Siege of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1574 |
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| Composition | Gold (.986) |
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| Obverse description | Irregular square klippe flan of high-relief hammered gold, bearing a five-line Latin votive inscription arranged within a beaded inner circle, with the siege date divided across the legend — numerals '15' appearing at the top and '74' at the bottom. The devotional and political legend reads LIBERT REST S P Q ZEL SOLI DEO HONOR, proclaiming the restoration of liberty to the Senate and People of Zeeland and attributing honour to God alone. A countermark is applied above the central inscription field. The surfaces show the characteristic irregularity and tool marks typical of emergency siege coinage produced under wartime conditions during the Spanish siege of Middelburg. |
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| Mintage | 1574 |
| Additional information |
Middelburg, the last major Spanish-held town in Zeeland, endured a siege lasting from 1572 until its surrender in February 1574. Cut off by Sea Beggar naval blockades, the garrison was reduced to starvation by the final months. Coins like this one were struck from whatever gold was available within the walls — emergency issues produced under direct military command, not a functioning municipal mint.
The .986 fineness is remarkably high for siege coinage, suggesting the source metal was melted ecclesiastical or civic plate rather than debased emergency stock.