DUTCH SILVER DUCAT: HEESWIJK CASTLE (ROYAL DUTCH MINT)
The Royal Dutch Mint’s ‘Silver Ducat’ range switched over from ‘The 12 Provinces‘ to ‘Dutch castles’ for 2020, and this one, Heeswijk Castle, is the second of twelve to be issued, following De Haar Castle in February. These are 28.25g in weight, with a 40mm diameter. They’re struck in the rarely used 0.873 fineness silver to a proof standard and come in a tin. The mintage is 2,000.
Heeswijk Castle in North-Brabant, was the site of a wooden stronghold dating back to 1080. It was continually built up and strengthened over the centuries, and achieved some fame in 1672 when the French King Louis XIV and the English signed a treaty there to divide up the conquered Netherlands. The castle remains a popular tourist destination.
The figure on the Ducat is Godard van Reede, who accompanied William of Orange when he invaded England in 1688. After winning a campaign against the followers of James II in 1691, he was naturalised as an English citizen. He returned to the Netherlands in 1702 and became the first Field Marshal of the Dutch States Army.
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