Today, the newest Silver Ducat of the Royal Dutch Mint was revealed at Westhove Castle, the castle depicted on the coin. Mayor Rob van der Zwaag received the first copy of the Silver Ducat. The sale of the coin has started immediately on our website.
Westhove CastleIt is not known exactly when Westhove Castle was built, but this must have been sometime before 1300. Around that time the castle was part of the abbey in Middelburg. In 1559 Middelburg became an episcopal city and thus the bishop owned Westhove. During the Siege of Middelburg in 1572 Groningen nobleman Bartholt Entens van Mentheda set the castle on fire, destroying much of the original structure. Hereafter, the castle has been in the hands of many private individuals who planted gardens and expanded the castle with many outbuildings. Today, the castle and its coach houses function as a youth hostel. The Terra Maris Museum has been housed in the orangery since 2006.
Silver Ducat “Westhove Castle”
The Silver Ducat “Westhove Castle” is part of the series “Dutch Castles”. The obverse depicts knight Godard de Ginkell in front of the medieval castle. The province weapon of Zeeland can be found on his shield. The inscription on this issue reads: “MO.NO.ARG.REG.BELGII.ZEL.”. “MO.NO.ARG.REG.BELGII.” is the Latin abbreviation for “Moneta Nova Argenta Regni Belgii”: New Silver coin of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. “ZEL.” stands for the province of Zeeland. On the reverse of the Silver Ducat, the national coat of arms of the Netherlands with the Royal Crown between the numbers of the year can be found. The inscription reads: “CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT”: unity makes strength. The mint mark and privy mark can also be found on the reverse.
Order the Silver Ducat “Westhove Castle” on our website now!