Strooipenning ter gelegenheid van de inhuldiging van Willem IV, 1751 1753

This is a strooipenning, or throwing medal, made to commemorate the inauguration of Willem IV in 1751. It was made by an anonymous artist. These coins were literally thrown to the masses during the inauguration, so the material had to be cheap and plentiful. These were stamped out of silver in large quantities. It is a relatively soft and easily worked material. So the medal could be produced quickly using a die. The relatively low relief of the imagery also speaks to the speed of production. The images themselves – classical scenes alluding to Willem’s virtues – are a far cry from the grit of everyday life for the working class. We can tell a lot about the relationship between rulers and the ruled, just from the means of production of this small, unassuming object.