Rijksdaalder
17th century ・ silver ・ 17th century ・ West Friesland (this piece dated 1619)
A large silver coin of the federal republic, cut with an armoured half-figure carrying a sword on the shoulder. The fineness is 885 thousandths. For most of the 17th century no silver coin named 'one gulden' existed — reckoning was done on the page at one gulden = twenty stuivers, and actual payment was made in large silver such as this rijksdaalder, which stood at 2.5 gulden. A unit that was only a name, and a heavy silver coin in the hand. In the two-layered money world of the golden century, this piece played the leading part on the side of the physical coin. It is dated 1619, struck in West Friesland.