Netherlands, Kampen Arendschelling (No reserve price)

Republic of the United Netherlands – Kampen – Eagle Schilling 1612 – Matthias I

Rarer variant with MATHI and retrograde N in CAMPEN · Silver · 4.66 g · 30 mm

A silver eagle schilling, minted in Kampen in 1612 in the name of Emperor Matthias I (1612–1619). An imposing urban emission in which Kampen’s status as an imperial city is explicitly expressed by the crowned double-headed imperial eagle and the imperial titulature.

Obverse:
Crowned double-headed imperial eagle within a pearl circle. Around the legend:

MATHI • I • D • G • ELEC • RO • IMP • SEM • AVGV

Free translation: Matthias I, by the grace of God elected Holy Roman Emperor, always exalted.

Reverse:
Crowned shield with the arms of Castile, León and Granada, placed on a cross of gnarled staffs and surrounded by a pearl circle. Legend:

MO • ARG • IMPERI • CIVITA • CAMPEN

Silver coin of the Imperial City Kampen.

What makes this specimen notable is the sought-after variant with MATHI in the obverse inscription and the retrograde, or mirrored N, in CAMPEN on the reverse. It is precisely such minting die variants that form an interesting collecting field within Kampen’s early 17th-century coinage and provide insight into the manual production process of the coin dies.

The coin was minted in the first year of Matthias’s reign as emperor. Kampen based its coinage on its status within the Holy Roman Empire and deliberately used the imperial eagle and titulature. The eagle schilling thus represents not only a means of payment but also a pronounced expression of the city’s political and monetary identity.

This specimen is distinguished by a powerful and unusually detail-rich strike. The double-headed eagle is strongly rendered on the planchet, with the crown, wings and feather structure clearly to the fore. The crowned shield on the reverse also has substantial relief and sharply defined details. The careful centering ensures that the main motifs and a large portion of the legends are convincingly present.

The silver also shows an attractive, natural-looking patination that accentuates the relief and gives the coin an authentic early 17th-century appearance.

Specifications: 1612 · Kampen · silver · 4.66 grams · 30 mm
Mint master: Johan or Hendrik Wijntgens

References: Verkade 896 (text) · HPM 47 · HNPM 47 · CNM 2.30.66

Rarer variant. A strikingly well-presented Kampen eagle schilling with richly preserved relief, well-centered and the characteristic retrograde N in CAMPEN. The combination of die variant, strong main imagery and attractive silver patina gives this specimen a distinctly collectible appearance.