Netherlands, Zeeland Dukaat 1790

NORTHEASTERN NETHERLANDS – REPUBLIC (1581–1795)

Zeeland – Silver Ducat 1790 – Middelburg

A splendid and historically engaging Zeeland silver ducat from 1790, minted in Middelburg during the final years of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

This imposing silver trade coin shows the characteristic armored knight with the Zeeland provincial coat of arms and bears on the reverse the famous motto CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT – Unity makes strength.

Coin data

* Region: Zeeland, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands
* Mint: Middelburg
* Year: 1790
* Denomination: silver ducat
* Material: silver
* Mint masters: Petronella Slob & Johan Lodewijk Molter
* Mint mark: fortress
* Master’s mark: two stars

Obverse

An armored knight, facing right, with a sash across his armor. In his right hand he holds a sword resting on his shoulder. In his left hand he carries a ribbon. At his feet is the crowned provincial coat of arms of Zeeland.

Inscription:

MON : NOV : ARG : PRO : CONFŒD : BELG : COM : ZEL · ♜

Full text:

Moneta Nova Argentea Provinciarum Confoederatarum Belgicarum Comitatus Zelandiae.

Translation:
New silver coin of the county (duchy) of Zeeland, part of the United Netherlands.

The closing fortress mark refers to the Zeeland minting town Middelburg.

Reverse

The crowned Generality arms, with the year 1790 and above it the two stars as the mint master mark.

Inscription:

CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT

Translation: “By concord small things grow.”

The motto is best known in the historical Dutch rendering:

“Unity makes strength.”

These words formed one of the most important political principles of the Republic. They emphasized that the separate provinces, despite their differences, could collectively form a strong and influential state.

Historical background

The silver ducat is among the most recognizable large silver trade coins of the Dutch Republic. The type was produced from the seventeenth century and played a significant role in international payments.

The image of the armored knight was more than decorative. It symbolized the resilience, independence, and military power of the United Netherlands. The provincial coat of arms at his feet emphasized the coin’s origin and the identity of the issuing province.

Zeeland occupied a special position within the Republic. Thanks to its harbors, shipping, and international trade relations, the province was closely linked to the economic development of the Low Countries. Middelburg grew into an important trading and minting center, where silver and gold coins were produced for centuries.

A ducat in the late days of the Republic

The year 1790 places this silver ducat in a particularly transitional period.

Europe stood on the eve of sweeping political changes. The French Revolution had broken out a year earlier, and political tensions were escalating within the Dutch Republic as well.

Just five years after this coin was struck, the old Republic would end in 1795, making way for the Batavian Republic.

Thus this Zeeland silver ducat represents not only a characteristic example of eighteenth-century Dutch minting but also a tangible reminder of the final years of a state form that had existed for more than two centuries.

Special features

This issue is recognizable by the combination of Middelburg’s fortress mark, the two stars as mint master mark, and the year 1790.

The armored knight, the crowned arms, and the classical Latin motto give the coin its distinctive appearance.

A splendid Zeeland silver ducat from 1790, struck in Middelburg under Petronella Slob and Johan Lodewijk Molter. A striking historical trade coin from the late days of the Republic, in which the armored knight and the centuries-old motto “Unity makes strength” express the independence and unity of the Dutch provinces in a special way.