Deventer toll token
Apart from being the smallest object in the museum, this toll token is also one of the oldest. It dates from between 1012 and 1022, making it over 1,000 years old! Deventer is itself one of the five oldest cities in the Netherlands. It was first mentioned in a written source in the 9th century. This small token allowed travellers to prove that they had paid the toll. At that time, most people were illiterate and tokens like this could be easily understood by everyone.
Deventer fell under the authority of the bishop of Utrecht, a vassal of the German emperor. When the bishop fled from the Vikings in 856, he set up a substitute court in Deventer, turning the city into a religious centre. It wasn’t until the 10th century that the bishop then in office would return to Utrecht. This drawing by A.H.J. Meijer shows the Church of Our Lady on the left, built in 937 by Bishop Balderic of Utrecht. The church on the right was attached to it and later expanded to become St Lebuinus’s Church. The Church of Our Lady is no longer standing, but visitors from the time of the toll token would have prayed there for a safe journey.
In the Middle Ages, Deventer was an important city. The first trade alliance of German cities, the Hanseatic League, began in the mid-12th century and was later expanded to include 200 cities spread across Europe. Through cooperation and joint travel, goods could be transported more safely. Naturally, Deventer became an important link along the Hanseatic route thanks to its location on the IJssel and its natural harbour. A small piece of the Netherlands can still be seen on the map from the late Middle Ages that shows the northern Hanseatic area.
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<summary>How small really?</summary>
<p>The diameter of the token is 1.7 cm.</p>