1/2 Daalder

Haarlem held out against Spanish forces for seven months before surrendering in July 1573. During the siege, the city's authorities struck emergency coinage from whatever silver was available — church plate, domestic objects, confiscated valuables — melted down and roughly worked into coin blanks. The resulting pieces are irregular in both weight and fineness, a direct consequence of the desperate and improvised nature of their production.

This half daalder is one of the earlier obsidional issues, struck while the city still had organized municipal authority. After the surrender, Spanish commander Fadrique de Toledo executed a large portion of the garrison.