Groot schippersgilde van Franeker, gildepenning van Beern Jansen 1645

This is a guild badge of Beern Jansen, of the mariner's guild of Franeker. Made from copper alloy, the octagonal token shows a sailing ship in choppy waters. The letters 'G' and 'P' are at the top corners, with a maker's mark and the name of the ship owner on the reverse. Guilds like this one existed all over the Netherlands, protecting the professional interests of their members and regulating competition. They acted as social and political networks. The Fransker schippersgilde, or mariner's guild, existed in a region with an extensive network of canals. To understand the importance of this token, we have to remember how crucial inland waterways were to the early modern economy. The images and words chosen for such a token reflect a distinct set of economic and social values. To better understand this object we might look into the archives to find out more about Jansen and his fellow guild members, and how they regulated their trade.