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36 Stuivers
| Issuer | Middelburg, Siege of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1572 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse of this siege klippe is essentially plain and featureless, displaying only the rough, unworked silver surface of the klippe flan with no intentional design, legend, or device. The irregular square planchet shows the characteristic hammer marks and uneven surfaces typical of hastily produced emergency coinage struck during the 1572 siege of Middelburg. The absence of a reverse design is consistent with other documented examples of this siege issue. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Middelburg (siege mint) |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Middelburg held out for the Spanish crown long after the surrounding towns of Zeeland had fallen to the Sea Beggars. By 1572 the city was effectively blockaded, its sea supply routes cut. These siege pieces were struck from whatever silver could be gathered locally — plate, jewelry, church goods — which is why weights within the type vary more than the catalog suggests and surface quality is routinely uneven.
The blockade lasted until February 1574, when starvation finally forced surrender. Issues struck in the later months of the siege tend to show cruder workmanship as conditions deteriorated.