taler; vier eenheden, noodmunt uit Frankenthal, geslagen tijdens het beleg door Verdugo 1623

This roughly square silver coin was struck in Frankenthal, Germany, in 1623, during a period of siege. Its form and iconography speak volumes about the social conditions that gave rise to it. The crude, irregular shape of the coin reflects the urgency of its production. The siege by Verdugo, a military commander of the Spanish army, had cut off the city's normal supply of currency. The coin was a quick-fix solution. Note the central triangular symbol, a representation of the Holy Trinity, common on emergency coinage from this period of the Thirty Years' War. The inscription, "ANCVLARIS.DEVS.EST.TVRRIS.NOSTRA," translates to "God is our cornerstone and tower." This coin testifies to the intersection of religious faith, military conflict, and economic necessity in early modern Europe. A deeper understanding of the coin requires that we contextualize it within the history of warfare, coinage, and religious symbolism of the period. Examining archival documents and numismatic studies helps to uncover the stories embedded in this intriguing artifact.