Five-euro note connects the [Amsterdam] present with the past, with a stamp!

The 'birth' of Amsterdam is based on February 27, 1275, when the Count of Holland, Floris V, granted the toll privilege to the approximately thousand inhabitants of the agricultural and trading settlement at the mouth of the Amstel. Amsterdam had already existed for well over a hundred years at that time. Graphic designer Hans Gremmen is the designer of this coin, which was issued on October 27, 2024. See also the stamp blog article '750 years of Amsterdam: 750-year-old Amsterdam Five-Euro Coin' from January 4, 2025. Five-euro coin in gold and silver 1) The obverse of the coin (in gold and silver versions) features a portrait of King Willem-Alexander corresponding to images of previous Dutch monarchs on coins. The text 'Willem-Alexander King of the Netherlands', which can be read around the King's portrait, is executed in contemporary modern typography. The diagonal-semi-circular surface division of the layered, three-dimensional design of the coin symbolizes the past in a matte finish and the present, current events, in a radiantly smooth presentation. 2) The reverse side of the coin also consists of two halves (matte & glossy). The top layer of the three-dimensional coin features the three St. Andrew's crosses in a modern version, with the peculiarity that the top cross effectively replaces the lower cross images created by the stamping tool. In this way, the present is connected to the past, both literally and figuratively. The bottom half of the coin consists of modern typographic text reading '750 years Amsterdam' & '1275 – 2025'. Three engraved St. Andrew's crosses from the city coat of arms have been applied to both heads of the die-cutting tool, two of which appear on the coin. The image on the right provides a clear view of the inner head bearing the St. Andrew's crosses. Image sources: MenA – Municipality of Amsterdam (Monuments and Archaeology) & Amsterdam Monumentenstad 3) During the construction of the North-South Line in Amsterdam (completed in 2018), a unique stamping tool from the Cloth Guild dating from 1350 was found in the mud at a depth of 7 meters on the Damrak (during archaeological research). Also found were lead seals attached to a roll of cloth, which were pressed into lead using the marking tool/sealing tool (quality assurance circle seals [consisting of two circular parts pressed together with a string in between]). Three engraved St. Andrew's crosses from the Amsterdam coat of arms are set into the heads of the stamping tool. Two of these appear on the coin. The St. Andrew's crosses (as symbols) refer to water / floods (white), to fire / city fires (red), and to the plague (black) of Amsterdam. Many streets consisted of wooden houses built close together; consequently, entire neighborhoods were destroyed during city fires. The urbanization of the cities brought an end to this. Stamp & coin: visualizing/depicting in an art historical perspective The coin and the stamp connect the (Amsterdam) present with the past in entirely different ways: * The stamp connects the past with the present by means of a winding, vibrant / colorful, image-continuous, and connecting timeline in numerical form (a figurative representation of ups and downs over 7½ centuries combined with a colorful international population). * The coin depicts the start of Amsterdam's 750th anniversary with the discovery of the oldest known version of the city coat of arms, set against a contemporary and sleek typography.