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40 Stuivers XL at bottom
| Issuer | City of Amsterdam (Dutch Republic) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1578 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | Crowned coat of arms of the city of Amsterdam centered in the field, flanked on either side by a rampant lion acting as supporter, all within a beaded inner circle. The date 1578 and denomination mark XL appear in the legend, rendered in Latin script. The heraldic composition is typical of siege coinage of the Dutch Republic period, with bold relief carving characteristic of hammered klippe production. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 1578 · XL |
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| Additional information |
Amsterdam began issuing its own coinage in 1578 following the city's dramatic switch of allegiance from Spain to the rebel Dutch cause — the event known as the Alteratie, which took place in May of that year. This piece is effectively a founding document of the reformed city's financial ambitions, struck within months of the political upheaval that expelled Catholic civic authority and handed control to the Calvinist merchant class.
The XL mark denoting denomination was a deliberate nod to the Flemish accounting tradition, situating Amsterdam's new currency within a recognizable commercial framework at a moment when trust in any issuing authority was anything but guaranteed.