6 Stivers 'Arendschelling'

The arendschelling — named for the eagle that appeared on earlier schelling types inherited from Habsburg coinage traditions — was minted by Friesland during a period when the newly independent Dutch provinces were still sorting out their monetary architecture. The Union of Utrecht had mandated currency coordination among the provinces in 1579, but enforcement was weak, and Friesland consistently struck coins to its own specifications well into the seventeenth century, causing persistent complaints from the States-General about substandard provincial silver flooding domestic markets.

The .500 fineness here is notably low for the period's prestige silver coinage.