Vijf stuiver, noodmunt uit Amsterdam, geslagen tijdens het beleg 1578

Curator: Here we have an Amsterdam five stuiver coin, an emergency coinage from the siege of 1578. It's metal and was effectively printed, which makes it rather fascinating in the way it reflects historical challenges. Editor: There's something incredibly weighty about this piece, literally and figuratively. It isn't a perfectly shaped coin; it is almost like a little ingot, the dull sheen of the metal whispers stories of scarcity and desperation. You know? A crown and a shield design crudely adorn the coin—reminding us of besieged people yearning for deliverance. Curator: Exactly, emergency coinage speaks to desperate times, literally putting the city's wealth—or lack thereof—into the hands of its citizens. It was made under duress. During the seige, supplies became very scarce, especially precious metals; and people needed money to buy basic stuff. Thus these coins were created as money. This becomes evident on a design level, looking at the quick manufacturing. Editor: There is a certain rawness to the artistry, a sense of "make do," which amplifies the narrative. Think of all those hands it must have passed through, what transactions, worries, and hopes were tied to its value. Did someone use this very piece to buy their family a loaf of bread, as cannons roared in the background? Curator: Certainly the coin would circulate fast among a wide range of the population. It reflects social needs: currency becoming something accessible to every person. Money as an equaliser, born out of the demands of war. The coin reveals aspects about resourcefulness of civil society at the very bottom in such times, rather than kings or queens Editor: To me, holding this in my hand—metaphorically of course—it is far more profound than gazing at any king's portrait. The uneven shape and almost clumsy design testify to a people refusing to surrender; they are proof that humanity persists, even in a metal shard. Curator: Definitely. This emergency coin tells a powerful tale of perseverance and the indomitable human spirit and reveals ways in which money as a social artefact interacts with history at large. Editor: Right. Makes you reflect on what real currency truly is and the actual metal it is cast in matters far less than the human stories and spirits etched within.