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28 Stuiver
| Issuer | City of Leiden (Dutch States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1574 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Silver Gulden (1506-1795) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | NVMMVS · OBSES · VRB LVGDVN · SVB · GVB · ILL · PRIN AVRA · CVS (Translation: Siege coin of the City of Leiden under the governance of the illustrious Prince of Orange) |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Leiden's 28 stuiver piece is among the most historically specific coins in European numismatics. It was struck — if that word even applies — during the Spanish siege of 1573–1574, when the city was completely cut off and had exhausted its metal supply. The municipal authorities improvised currency from the leather covers and pages of Catholic prayer books and breviaries confiscated from Leiden's churches, pressing them into coin shapes and applying official stamps.
The siege ended October 3, 1574, when William of Orange flooded the surrounding polder land by cutting the dikes, forcing the Spanish withdrawal. That date is still celebrated in Leiden annually.