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28 Stuivers, round
| Issuer | City of Leiden |
|---|---|
| Year | 1574 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A rampant lion passant to the left, grasping a pole surmounted by a Liberty cap, the emblematic device of freedom and resistance. The lion divides the date 1574 across the field. The entire design is contained within a beaded or linear circle, above which a crown is placed at the top. The composition reflects the iconographic language of the Dutch Revolt, combining heraldic tradition with overt political symbolism. The legends surrounding the device proclaim liberty as the coin's central theme. |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to the emergency coinage struck by Leiden during the Spanish siege of 1573–1574 — one of the most brutal in the Eighty Years' War. The city held out for over a year, its population decimated by famine and plague, before William of Orange's forces breached the dykes and flooded the surrounding polders to drive off Alva's army. The municipal authorities improvised coinage from whatever silver could be gathered, including cut and melted plate, to maintain some semblance of economic function inside the walls.
The relief of Leiden on October 3, 1574 is still celebrated annually in the city.