6 Stuiver 'Scheepjesschelling' Dirck Bosch

The "Scheepjesschelling" — little ship shilling — takes its popular name from the vessel depicted on its face, a type that became so associated with West Friesland's maritime identity that collectors have used the nickname for centuries in preference to its official denomination. The 1673 date places this piece squarely in the Rampjaar, the catastrophic "Disaster Year" in which France, England, and Münster simultaneously invaded the Dutch Republic. Coin production in the provincial mints surged as the VOC and civic institutions hoarded bullion against the possibility of total collapse.

Dirck Bosch served as mintmaster at the Hoorn mint, and his personal mark is the traceable signature separating this issue from otherwise near-identical dies.