Beleg van Gulik door Albrecht, aartshertog van Oostenrijk, noodmunt van twee stuiver, vervaardigd uit munt, bestempeld met het monogram van Frederik Pithaen Possibly 1621 - 1629

This two-stuiver coin was made by an anonymous artist during the siege of Gulik by Archduke Albrecht of Austria. It is crafted from a pre-existing coin, stamped with the monogram of Frederik Pithaen. Coins like these speak to the ingenuity of people facing extreme circumstances. The octagonal shape and roughly-stamped image are evidence of the urgency of its creation, a stark contrast to the precision we associate with currency. Coins were typically made by highly skilled artisans using carefully engraved dies and precisely calibrated weights of precious metals. Here, however, the material itself tells a story of scarcity, a quickly produced medium of exchange during wartime. The amount of work put into the production of this coin would have been minimal, produced with the basic tools available during a siege. The Beleg van Gulik coin serves as a reminder that the value of an object is determined by the social context in which it was made. It is a compelling example of how art and craft can blur, particularly under duress.