Gelderland Gold Noble

This coin was one of the earliest gold issues from the Duchy of Gelderland, struck to assert the duke's authority amid regional power struggles.

Weighing about 3.5 grams and made from 23-carat gold, it copied elements of English noble designs, right down to the ship motif on the reverse. That makes sense; trade routes brought ideas as well as goods across the Channel. Minting likely occurred in Arnhem or Nijmegen, though exact locations shift with each duke's reign.

Records are spotty on how many were produced between 1420 and 1450. A fire in a Dutch archive in 1838 destroyed much of that data, so we're left guessing.

Some specimens show signs of clipping, where people snipped edges for the gold, proving that even back then, folks couldn't resist a quick profit.