The Dutch East India Company Silver Ship Shilling Treasure Coin Pendant set in 14K Gold and Sterling Silver...

Like Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, the Dutch and British East India Trading Companies ruled the seas from 1600 to the mid 1800s.

Please Note: This is an authentic Dutch East India Company Treasure Coin, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.

By the late 1500s the Netherlands was one of the most famed nations in the world. The Spanish were busy exploring and exploiting the New World, while the Dutch and British were building their trading organizations, journeying to India and the Far East to trade silver and gold for silks, spices, gems and exquisite blue and white porcelains.

In 1600 the British East India Company was granted a charter to trade in the Far East. The Dutch quickly followed, and in 1602, the Dutch East India Company, with their monogram, VOC (Verenigde Oost-indische Compagnie, meaning United East India Company), emblazoned on their goods, was founded and soon developed a massive trading organization throughout the East Indies.

The VOC, with an impressive fleet of merchant ships, established Dutch colonies all along their trade routes; in western Africa, South Africa, and at various locations in the East Indies including the strategic islands of Java, in Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. The two main “hub” ports were Galle Harbor and fort in Sri Lanka, and Batavia (now Jakarta), on Java. This coin was discovered in Sri Lanka.

Your Dutch East India Company Silver Ship Shilling:

• Denomination: 6 Stuiver - Affectionately known as a "Ship Shilling" by the sailors of the day, as they are the same size and were about the same relative value as the British shilling of the day!
• Date: 1790
• Latin Motto on Ship side of Coin: DEUS FORTITUDO ET SPES NOSTRA: "God is Our Refuge and Our Strength"
• Coin Metal: Silver
• Bezel Metal: 14K Gold, Proprietary, Non-Tarnishing Sterling Silver
• Articulating Nautical Shackle Bail Interior Diameter: Will accommodate chain or leather necklace up to 6.2mm
• Pendant Size including bezel:  1 1/8” Across, 1 1/2” Tall - Just a little wider  diameter than a U.S. quarter 

Special Note: This particular Ship Shilling was minted at the West Friesland mint in the Netherlands, and features, on the reverse (back), the twin lion design.  The Latin  legend on this design is "God is our Refuge and Strength."

Historical Note: Until the 16th Century, much of the Netherlands was under the control of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. In 1568 the Netherlands, led by William I of Orange, revolted, and the country adopted the motto: CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT: “through unity small things grow,” in 1578, a quote taken from Roman historian Sallust’s (86 BC – c. 35 BC) monograph, Jugurthine War. The Netherlands’ struggle against Spain can be seen on the coins. The 6 stuivers from different mints have varied Latin mottos around the edges of the coins. ITA RELINQUENDA UT ACCEPTA translates to “Leave it as you received it.” Another is DEUS FORTITUDO ET SPES NOSTRA: “God is our refuge and strength.” And the motto and swimming lion on some coins is: LUCTOR ET EMERGO: “I struggle and survive.”

Your VOC Pendant Comes Complete with:

1. Our 100% Authentic Lifetime Guarantee
2. A Detailed, Customized, Full Color, Multi-Page Photo Certificate of Authenticity Researched and Written by Robert Lewis Knecht, that teaches you how to read your coin
3. Treasure Hunters Gazette Booklet
4. Mini Museum Display for when you are not wearing your treasure
5. A Treasure Jewelry Care Card