veertig stuiver, noodmunt uit Breda, geslagen tijdens het beleg door Spinola 1625

Curator: Look at this fascinating piece: it's a 'veertig stuiver,' a necessity coin from Breda, crafted in 1625 during the siege by Spinola. The Rijksmuseum holds it today as a relic of that time. Editor: My initial thought is about the harshness, the austerity of it. That rough, almost crude diamond shape. There's very little comfort conveyed in its appearance. Curator: Indeed. It was created out of sheer necessity, reflecting the pressures the city was under. See how the die was pressed unevenly. It's quite distinct from more formal currency. These coins weren’t made for beauty. They were made for survival, serving as a symbolic embodiment of civic endurance. Editor: The central coat-of-arms is quite worn, yet the emblems of power and civic identity are still visible. Look at how deliberately the marks of the city are imprinted here, a powerful symbol of identity in a time of crisis. Curator: Precisely. Remember that Breda was under intense pressure, and issuing these coins was a political act as much as an economic one. Each emblem tells a story about the struggle for local rule in the face of an empire. Even the denomination “40” at the top becomes a symbol of the practical struggle for existence during the siege. Editor: It makes you consider what these symbols—shields, crowns, and even the rough edges—meant to the people using them daily. Holding it, exchanging it, accepting this pressed piece as something that actually represented value and trust in civic authority. Curator: These emergency coins reflect the desperate need to maintain economic functions while affirming community identity during times of crisis. They are both economic tools and emblems of urban resilience, marking key sociopolitical events in their textures and forms. Editor: Seeing how even small, practical objects become charged with such complex meanings truly underscores the fascinating ability of humans to create symbolic languages through everyday things. Curator: Absolutely, and this ‘veertig stuiver’ does precisely that, revealing a crucial intersection between crisis, economics, and the very essence of identity formation.