This was a fairly recent and exciting purchase for me. I bought this in Utrecht while I was visiting @AnYangMan, who convinced me to buy it. This example is one of the finer ones in existence with a very sharp strike and some lovely peripheral toning. What sold me was the detail on the lion. Its only issues are the result of an imperfect flan. The lionthalers were the first coinage struck by Holland after its independence from Philip II in 1572. For the first couple decades, these coins were struck at a central mint to a set standard, making them popular coins for trade. The striking duties eventually became the responsibility of several cities (including Utrecht), who all struck coins to a slightly different standard. My coin is a part of the former era.
Beautifull sharp coin, TypeCoin, congrats Your coin was struck in Dordrecht in the province of Holland in 1589. hence the HOL top on the obverse and the little rose on the reverse opposite of the lions mouth. Heres my Lionthaler explaining the legends: * Our country is called the Netherlands, Holland is a province , nowadays split in North Holland and South Holland.
Nice coins, everyone. I got my first "Dog Dollar" in February, after wanting one for 30 years. My great-great-grandparents came over from Holland, so I had that family-connection thing going as well. Anyway, cheap-o that I am, I never wanted to pay retail for them, especially since they are so common, but one finally turned up in my price range on eBay, from 1648:
