Gelderland Thaler

In 1621, amid the Eighty Years' War, Gelderland's thalers were struck from silver sourced from melted-down Spanish reales, a practical reuse of captured enemy coinage that funded the province's resistance.

These large silver pieces, weighing around 29 grams, bore the rampant lion of Gelderland on the obverse, symbolizing local pride, while the reverse often showed the Dutch arms or a date. Variations in design reflected the province's multiple mints, including Arnhem, though quality control was hit or miss due to wartime pressures.

Mintage records for specific years remain incomplete; much was likely lost in later conflicts. Still, surviving examples show the wear of heavy circulation, from Amsterdam's markets to Baltic trade routes.

Some numismatists quip that the thaler's size made it a poor choice for pockets, but an excellent one for arguments over change.