Notes on Dutch coinage

<155r>

Of the Money of the seven Provinces

In Amsterdam & the towns of Holland they reccon bargain & exchange by Florens (or Livres,) sols & Deniers which the country people call Guldens styvers & Penninghen or Gilders Styvers & Pence. Sixteen Deniers (which they call deniers common) make a sol & 20 sols and twentyy sols a Floren. They have also Livres sols & deniers de Gross. Twelve Grosses or Deniers de Gross make a sol de gross or schelling & twenty schellings a Livre de gross or pondt Vlaem. And a Livre de Gross is 6 Florens, & a skelling six styvers & a styver two Grosses, & 8 Duytes & 16 Deniers.

The real gold monies of Amsterdam & Holland are

Their silver monies are

The half & quarter pieces are in proportion.

They have other pieces of 2, 3, 4, 8, 12$\frac{1}{2}$ sols & divers others for payment, & Duytes or Deniers of copper of which 8 make the Sol or Stuyver.

The money of the Banck (which is called Banck money & consists in bills of credit upon the Banck) is also reccomd{illeg}y Florens & deniers & is better then specie money of

Bank money varies & is better then Dollars & Ducatons from 3 to 6 per cent & then other money proportionally. The buyer & seller of Bank money give 1 per mille to the Bank for entring the bargain: the buyer gives one half & the seller the other half. The Gold monies of Holland are above the specie coyns at 6$\frac{1}{2}$ per cent, above bank money at per cent

A three Guilder piece is stampt with a Minerva leaning on an altar & holding a hat on a peer with this motto Hae nitimur hanc tuemur & on the reverse a Belgic Lyon & sometimes a Lyon & erect cross quartered. Inscription No. Na. argent G. V. &c. M^r Floyer in one paper makes the 3 Guilder piece Worse 4^dt. the weight 20^dt 6^gr, in another paper worth 3^dt weight 20^dt. 8^gr in another 3, 4, 5 or 6^dt worse. The following 3 Guilder pieces were weighed by me in Sept 1700 & assayed in the Tower

Allowing the wast of a grain in every 6 years wearing their weight one with another when new coyned was 1^oz 8^gr, but they were unequally sized erring in excess & defect of weight 2 or 3 grains or above. Comparing these observations with M^r Floyers they may be recconed 11 ounces fine, & so when new coynd are worth 5^s 2$\frac{1}{2}$^d of just standard English money, or 5^d. 2$\frac{3}{4}$^d of our money new out of the Mint or in course {o}f Exchange. If a grain be added to the weight so that the weight be 1^oz 9^gr they will {e}qual they make the imaginary current money of which 444$\frac{4}{9}$ deniers de gross (or 37^sch. 0$\frac{4}{6}$ gross) equal 1^℔ sterling in exchange, & 100 {de}niers de gross equal 54 pence sterling which is a Rix doller or Ecus. The Dutch therefore in {the} course of exchange overvalue their current money 3 per cent & should put 38$\frac{1}{4}$^sch {illeg}l to 1^li sterling. At 11$\frac{1}{24}$^oz fine & 1^oz 8^gr weight they are worth 5^s 2$\frac{1}{10}$^d standard & 5^s 3^d in exchange.

<155v>

Three Dutch Ducatons coynd 1672, 1673, 1675 weighing 20^dwt. 16$\frac{3}{4}$^gr. 20^dwt 20^d$\frac{3}{4}$, 20^{s}18^d$\frac{1}{4}$ better 3^dwt, 3^dwt scant, 4^dwt. The first coynd in Zeland & most worn, the 2^d & 3^{d coynd in H{illeg}} The 3^d not worn above a grain or 1$\frac{1}{2}$^gr, the 2^d not above 2^gr. On one side a man on horsback on the other the Belgic Lyon with a sword & seven darts in a scutcheon supported by Lyons. Valued at 5^s 8^d a piece by the Refiners. The inscription Mo. No. Arg. pro confoe Belg. Prov. Holl. Westf. &c & on the Reverse Concordia res parvæ crescunt. If their weight be supposed 1^oz. 21^gr & their betterness 3^dwt they will be worth 5^s. 5^d$\frac{3}{5}$ a piece of our standard money & 5^s. 5^d$\frac{9}{10}$ in course of exchange, & if a grain be added to their weight they will be worth 5^s 6^d a piece in course of exchange.

By these assays we may reccon exactly enough that if Banck money be supposed 5 per cent better then specie money of the same denomination, & pounds schellings & deniers English, speecie money de gross of Holland & Banck money of Amsterdam of the same denomination are matically in proportion as 11. 20 & 21. That is 11 shillings sterling = 20 schellings Bank money = 21 schellings specie money; & 20 shillings sterling = 36$\frac{4}{11}$^sch bank money = 38$\frac{2}{11}$ species money of the seven Provinces very nearly.

Patagons, Rix dollers or Legg dollers have on them an armed man with a sword to his right hand the blade leaning on his shoulder & in his left hand a double {string} at which hands an Escutcheon with the Arms of a Dutch Province covering his left leg. His right legg stands full in view. About it this inscription Mo. No. arg. pro confoe Belg. Westf. com. Zel. &c And on the reverse the arms of the seven Provinces viz^t in an Escutcheon a Lyon rampant with a sword in one foot & seven darts in the other with this inscription: Concordia res parvæ crescunt.

One piece 1697 not worn, worse 13$\frac{1}{2}$^dwt, weight 17^dwt 23$\frac{1}{4}$^gr

Another 1698 not worn, worse 15^dwt. weight 17^dwt 23$\frac{1}{2}$^gr

Another 1695 not worn, worse 13^dwt, weight 18^dwt 1$\frac{3}{4}$^gr

Another 1701 not worn worse 14^dwt 06 weight 18^dwt

Several others coyned in 1701 were found by assays in the lower 12^dwt worse & one of them 13^{dwt} worse. They should be therefore 10$\frac{1}{2}$ ounces fine but often prove a penny weigh{t} sometimes two or three penny weight worse. Supposing that they weigh 18^dwt & a{re} 10$\frac{1}{2}$ ounces fine, they will be worth 4^s. 4$\frac{3}{4}$^d$\frac{1}{30}$. In Holland they go for 2$\frac{1}{2}$ Florens, {illeg} is 4^s. 4^d$\frac{1}{2}$ of our money.

Lyon Dollars are worth two thirds of a Ducaton or 3^s 8^d. Their stamp is {a} man to the thighs holding an Escutcheon before him with this inscription {Mo.} No. Ar. pro Confoe. Belg. Westf. Campen &c And on the Reverse a great Lyon ramp{ant} with this inscription Confidens Deo non movetur.

One piece 1640 worse 2^oz 5^dwt weight 5$\frac{3}{4}$^gr

Another 1687 worse 2^oz 2^dwt. weight 17^dwt 12^gr very little worn

Another 1650 worse 2^oz 1$\frac{1}{2}$^dwt weight 16^dt. 18^gr

Another 1687 worse 2^oz 7^dwt. weight 17^dwt 13$\frac{1}{4}$^gr very little worn.

Three others not assayed dated 1641, 1645, 1648 weighed 17^dwt 7^gr$\frac{1}{4}$; 17^dwt {illeg} 17^dwt 6^g$\frac{1}{4}$. They seem to be 9 ounces fine by law but often happen to be three {illeg} penny weight coarser. Reynolds puts them 8^oz 11^dwt fine & 17^dwt 18^gr weight. Their {illeg} is rather 17^dwt 13 or 14^gr new out of the Mint.