10 Stuivers Gold pattern, X ST

Pattern coinage from the Dutch Republic's provincial mints rarely reached circulation, and this Gelderland piece is no exception. The province maintained its own minting authority under the Union of Utrecht's framework, but by the mid-eighteenth century the Dutch monetary system was plagued by a proliferation of substandard provincial issues — the so-called "light money" problem that plagued interregional commerce for decades. Gold patterns of this type were almost certainly struck for presentation or archival purposes rather than any serious monetary deployment.

Gelderland's mint at this period was among the least prolific of the seven sovereign provinces. Survivors in any condition are rarely encountered outside specialist Dutch auctions or the major institutional collections in Amsterdam and Arnhem.