Silver Ducat “Sassenpoort” 2025

Silver Ducats are commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Finance and are collector coins. The issue depicting Sassenpoort is part and also the fifth issue of the brand-new series “Dutch city gates and access roads”. Are you also collecting these coins?

Part 5: Sassenpoort in Zwolle: Symbol of prosperity 

For the fifth part of the series we go to the Hanseatic city of Zwolle, in the province Overijssel. The Sassenpoort can’t be missed when walking through the city. This gate, presumably built in the 15th century, is the main remnant of the derivative wall of Zwolle. The gate is quite large in size and even in the Middle Ages, the gate was seen as the symbol of wealth in Zwolle. As a Hanseatic city, Zwolle was important for trade and therefore a wide and large gate was necessary to be able to check all incoming and outgoing carts.

The Sassenpoort has played a leading role in many important moments in history: one of them took place in 1524. Karel van Gelre, the duke that is portrayed on all Silver Ducats this series, planned to conquer the city, The people of Zwolle thought different and made a plan. They let the duke in through the outer gate, which was a few dozen meters away from the Sassenpoort. When the duke entered the courtyard, both the outer gate and the Sassenpoort were closed and Karel van Gelre was imprisoned. He had to promise to leave the city alone before he was allowed to leave. Although he did not keep his word, the city was never conquered by him. The Sassenpoort is now on the list of top 100 Dutch Monuments and is definitely worth a visit!

Duke Karel van Egmond

In the previous series (Dutch Castles), knight Godard de Ginkell was on the coin. According to the Dutch Mint Act, a knight in armour should be on the coin. This time, Karel van Egmond (1467 – 1538) (also known as Karel van Gelre) is taking over this honor. This armored man on the obverse of the coin was an important duke of several areas in the Netherlands. During his reign, he had to deal with threats from emperor Charles V. He also was the last independent feudal ruler of the Netherlands. For this new series, Karel van Egmond will be on the Silver Ducat. 

Design

The obverse of the Silver Ducat “Sassenpoort” depicts Duke Karel van Egmond in front of the famous building. The province weapon of Overijssel can be found on his shield. The inscription on this issue reads: “MO.NO.ARG.REG.BELGII.TRAN.”. “MO.NO.ARG.REG.BELGII.TRAN.” is the Latin abbreviation for “Moneta Nova Argenta Regni Belgii”: New Silver coin of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. TRAN stands for the province of Overijssel.  

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. Here you can also find the mint mark and the privy mark. As requested by many, the packaging for the new series is adjusted. The Silver Ducat is in a smaller packaging that not only takes up less space, but also fits in the mailbox.