2 Ducats Late type, piedfort of double weight

West Friesland's piedfort ducats occupy an awkward category — too heavy for circulation, too irregular for diplomatic presentation sets, and too well-made for simple trial strikes. The most plausible explanation is that they were produced for assay purposes or as collector pieces for the burgeoning Dutch cabinet trade, which was already sophisticated enough by the 1690s to sustain a market for such things.

The HPM reference places this among a small, documented group. Survivors are rare enough that auction appearances generate genuine competition among specialists in provincial Dutch gold.