The Arendrijksdaalder — "eagle riksdaler" — was struck jointly by the three Overijssel imperial cities of Deventer, Kampen, and Zwolle under authorization tied to the Holy Roman Empire, with Maximilian II having died in October 1576. Coins bearing his name continued to be produced posthumously under the legal cover of his imperial privilege, a not uncommon practice when cities were reluctant to absorb the cost of new dies or risk disrupting trade acceptance of a well-circulated type.
The klippe format — square-cut planchet — points almost certainly to presentation or trial use rather than general circulation. The 1578 date places production squarely in the opening turmoil of the Dutch Revolt.
The Arendrijksdaalder — "eagle riksdaler" — was struck jointly by the three Overijssel imperial cities of Deventer, Kampen, and Zwolle under authorization tied to the Holy Roman Empire, with Maximilian II having died in October 1576. Coins bearing his name continued to be produced posthumously under the legal cover of his imperial privilege, a not uncommon practice when cities were reluctant to absorb the cost of new dies or risk disrupting trade acceptance of a well-circulated type.
The klippe format — square-cut planchet — points almost certainly to presentation or trial use rather than general circulation. The 1578 date places production squarely in the opening turmoil of the Dutch Revolt.