Scharenslijpersgilde van Amsterdam, gildepenning van Cornelis Banckrus 1629

This silver guild token, dating from 1629, was likely created for the Scharenslijpersgilde van Amsterdam, a guild of scissors grinders in Amsterdam. The token's obverse features a depiction of a figure likely representing a member of the guild, and the reverse contains an inscription in Dutch. Guild tokens, like this one, were often used as membership markers, and served as a visible symbol of membership. The token, with its historical connection to the Amsterdam guild, is a fascinating glimpse into the social and economic life of 17th century Netherlands.