Sale: Triton X, Lot: 920. Estimate $300.  Closing Date: Monday, 8 January 2007.  Sold For $325. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LOW COUNTRIES, Groningen. AR 25 Stuivers Klippe (14.04 g). Siege coinage. Dated 1672. IVRE ET TEMPORE 1672, crowned coat of arms of Groningen; 25 ST flanking / Blank. Delmonte 737; Mailliet 6; KM 26. VF, toned.

In the Franco-Dutch War (1672-1678), France and its allies invaded the United Netherlands in an attempt to capture land from the weaker Dutch forces. Ever eager to increase his influence and power, Christoph Bernhard von Galen, bishop of Münster, joined the French and besieged the Dutch city of Groningen in 1672. The siege was ultimately unsuccessful, and Bishop von Galen retreated on 28 August of the same year. This coin was struck afterward to commemorate the end of the siege. 28 August is still celebrated as a local holiday in Groningen; it is called “Bomm’n Berend” after the nickname given to Bishop von Galen by the townspeople.