40 Stuivers (Dutch West India Company; Recife)

The 40 Stuivers coin from 1654 represents a period of desperation during the Dutch occupation of Brazil, often referred to as New Holland. As the Dutch West India Company faced the eventual collapse of its Brazilian colony under intense pressure from Portuguese forces, the local administration experienced severe shortages of bullion. To maintain the local economy and pay its remaining troops, the council issued 'obsidional' or siege money, repurposing existing silver plate or creating crude coinage stamped with simple numeric values to signify their face worth.

The design of this currency is strictly functional, reflecting the urgency of its creation. Unlike the ornate European coinage of the era, these pieces often feature minimal iconography—frequently just the denomination and a stamp indicating the issuing authority or region. They were intended strictly for immediate circulation within the garrisoned territories of Recife. Because these coins were produced under chaotic, wartime conditions rather than in a formal state mint, they are highly valued by historians today as tangible artifacts of the Dutch West India Company's final, tenuous hold on South American territory.