Aanvang van het jaar 1760 1760

This silver New Year’s jeton was made in 1760 by Johan George Holtzhey. Although jetons like this were coin-like, they weren't actually currency. Instead, they were tokens given as gifts to commemorate the New Year. The materiality of silver is important. On one side, a seated woman holds a spear and caduceus, symbols of power and negotiation. The inscription translates to ‘Welfare of the people, the highest law.’ On the reverse, we see a landscape under a cloudy sky, with the inscription ‘Pointing to prosperous things’. Minting such a coin was no simple matter. The silver would have been carefully measured, melted, and then struck with precisely engraved dies to create the raised design. While small in scale, the jeton reflects larger social and economic structures, and the labor needed to produce them. Skilled artisans and specialized tools were required. The jeton speaks to the ways in which power, prosperity, and artistic skill were intertwined in the 18th century, blurring the lines between art, craft, and commerce.