6 Stivers 'Scheepjesschelling' Pattern without 6 S

The scheepjesschelling — "little ship shilling" — was a workhorse of Dutch provincial commerce, but the 1670 pattern issues from Holland and West Friesland occupy a peculiar corner of that history. This piece omits the denomination mark entirely, a variation documented under HPM Ho73.2 and distinct from the standard production run. Whether the omission was a deliberate trial of a revised die or simply an engraver's error caught before full striking is unresolved. Pattern issues of this type rarely entered circulation, which explains the disproportionate survival rate in respectable condition relative to the circulating coinage.