Ducat

Overijssel's gold ducats of this period were struck under extraordinary duress. In 1672 — the Rampjaar or "Disaster Year" — French forces under Louis XIV occupied the province entirely, and minting operations were suspended. The resumption of coinage from 1673 onward was itself a political act, reasserting provincial authority as Dutch and allied forces slowly reclaimed territory. That these pieces exist at all reflects how quickly the provincial mint moved to re-establish financial credibility once occupation ended.