Shilling, noodmunt van Jacobus II, koning van Engeland, uit december 1689 1689

Editor: Here we have a shilling, or noodmunt, of James II, King of England, dating from December 1689. It's made of metal and is currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. The worn texture really gives it a sense of history and makes me wonder about its journey through time. What story does this coin tell you? Curator: The very substance of this shilling speaks volumes. The metal itself, likely silver, reveals much about 17th-century economic systems and resource control. Consider the mining, smelting, and minting processes involved in its creation – all labor intensive and deeply connected to the political power structures of the time. Editor: That’s fascinating! So, beyond just being a portrait of a king, it represents a whole economic system? Curator: Precisely! It embodies power made material. The coin's engraving, another skilled labor, signifies value determined not just by the weight of the metal, but by the authority impressed upon it. Ask yourself, who controlled access to these resources, and who profited from its distribution? That 'wear and tear' you mentioned? That speaks to circulation, the movement of goods, and ultimately, social interaction. It's more than a portrait, it is social history in a tangible form. Editor: So, analyzing the materials and production methods gives us a completely different way of understanding its value and significance. Curator: Absolutely. The value lies not only in its monetary worth but in its role as a record of materials, process and social dynamics of 17th-century England. A King's head reduced to pocket change is ripe for materialist interpretation.