Zeeland Siege Klip

The Zeeland Siege Klip was struck from silver pilfered from church plate and melted down on the spot during the 1574 siege of Middelburg.

That makes it a rare example of necessity overriding tradition in coinage. Defenders, cut off from regular supplies, hammered out these crude, oblong pieces to pay soldiers and buy provisions. No fancy designs here—just blunt inscriptions like "ZEELAND" and dates, squeezed onto irregular planchets.

We don't know the exact number produced; records from that chaotic time vanished long ago. What we do have are survivors, often scarred from use or burial.

Historians sometimes mix it up with the Leiden siege coins, but that's a myth. Zeeland's were distinct, if less celebrated.

Sure, they lack the polish of a guild-struck ducat, but in a pinch, they worked just fine.