Netherlands, Leiden Silver city council attendance token late 17th–early 18th century NUMMUS SENATORIUS VF / EF

Netherlands, Leiden. Silver city council attendance token — NUMMUS SENATORIUS. Undated, late 17th–early 18th century.

Obverse: A lion holding a raised curved sword and the crowned arms of Leiden, bearing two crossed keys. The lion’s head faces the viewer, and its tail ends in two tufts.

Legend: NUMMUS SENATORIUS — “Council token.”

Reverse: Seven-line Latin inscription:

Prudens paren:
tum consilio & fide,
Fortis parentum
cladibus, & fame,
Virtute discat per
tinaci Posteritas
Patriam tueri.

The inscription exhorts posterity to learn from the wisdom, loyalty and hardships of its forebears and to defend the fatherland with steadfast courage.

Leiden introduced its silver council attendance tokens in 1671, following a municipal resolution of November 1670. These tokens formed part of the remuneration of members attending meetings of the city’s governing council.

This example belongs to the variety with the longer reverse inscription, including CONSILIO & FIDE and CLADIBUS & FAME.

Reference: W.F. van Zegveld, “De stempels van de Leidse Vroedschapspenning met leeuw en tekst,” De Beeldenaar, May 1978, pp. 5–8, die combination 2C.

Silver.
Weight: 7.82 g.
Diameter: 31.7 mm.

Shipping