Strafgevangenis te 's-Hertogenbosch, huismunt ter waarde van tien cent 1824 - 1831

This is a ten-cent coin, likely made by Hendrikus Wansink. The circular form dominates, yet its material and markings carry deeper significance. On one face, the incised numerals "10" hover above the denomination "C," rendered with stark simplicity. The reverse bears the brunt of time, the iron showing the ravages of rust, a testament to its endurance through harsh conditions. This degradation introduces an element of chance and the aleatory, disrupting the coin's original, intended form. It serves not merely as currency but as a symbol of confinement. The coin questions the very nature of value and freedom. We are compelled to consider the semiotic play between the coin's intended purpose and its symbolic weight within the prison walls, reflecting the inmates' own struggle for worth and identity. The decay, finally, leaves us to consider ideas of value and the transient nature of existence.