Derde gesticht van de kolonie Veenhuizen, huismunt geslagen op last van de Maatschappij van Weldadigheid ter waarde van 1 cent 1818 - 1859

Editor: This little piece, held at the Rijksmuseum, is described as "Derde gesticht van de kolonie Veenhuizen, huismunt geslagen op last van de Maatschappij van Weldadigheid ter waarde van 1 cent." So, a house coin commissioned by the Society of Charity. It's monochrome, seemingly metal, and dates back to somewhere between 1818 and 1859. What strikes me most is its roughness; it feels like a tiny window into a difficult past. What untold stories do you think it could tell, if coins could talk? Curator: Oh, if coins could talk! This one, especially, would whisper tales of a social experiment. These tokens weren't exactly symbols of prosperity, were they? Imagine being handed this, within the confines of the Veenhuizen colony – a place designed to 'rehabilitate' through labour. Did it feel like a second chance, or another shackle? I'm drawn to that wear and tear; each scratch tells a little something about that life. What feeling do you get when you study it up close? Editor: A sense of constraint, definitely. Almost… utilitarian. Not decorative at all. Does that bluntness reflect the philosophy behind Veenhuizen itself? Curator: Absolutely! The stark functionality screams volumes. This wasn't about aesthetics; it was about control. Even currency became a tool of management, isolated from the outside world. The medieval feel it has gives it that impression even more! How interesting that the past echoes, even in something as small as this! Editor: It’s sobering to think about. What started as an effort to uplift ended up as a means of confinement. Thanks, I'll be reflecting on that for a while. Curator: Me too, a beautiful encapsulation of tough social issues.