Historiepenningen - 1673 - Medal 'Stad Kampen - Bevrijding van 12 door de Fransen gegijzelde burgers' (van Loon 134) - Obv. Crowned arms of Kampen supported by two lions, date below / Rev. Names of the hostages taken by the French - AR silver 46.9 mm, 23.52 gram - Rare, sold only twice by us before - dark cabinet toning - XF - in 1672 the city of Kampen, trying to avoid the bloodbath at Deventer that year, surrendered to the approaching German and French army and opened their city gates. Before the French opressing soldiers broke the brief occupation of the city in 1673 however, they demanded an additional 100.000 gulden ransom, a sum of which the city could only afford roughly a quarter. In retalion, the French took 12 high-ranking civilians hostage and brought them to Arnhem until the rest of the money would be paid, where they were kept under quite abysmal circumstances. Instead of the magistrate of the city, under strict instructions to not pay unless the Staten had approved, it were the families of the civilians themselves that eventually managed to scrape together the money. The prisoners were released on march 7th 1674, eventually the city reimbursed the full amount to the families and presented each prisoner with a gold medal worth around 80 guldens. The NNC holds a single gold example, while silver off-strikes such as this were likely presented to the families or the magistrate rather than the prisoners themselves. Nevertheless a rare medal, moreso in this exceptional state of preservation.