Very rare Danzig beggar's badge from 1619, authorizing begging in Danzig and distinguishing local beggars from foreigners who came to the city illegally.
Badge intended to be sewn onto clothing or hung around the neck.
Obverse: in the middle the coat of arms of Danzig, on the sides of which the date 16-19, below a pair of people holding hands, on the right side a beggar in a hat, with a stick in his right hand, on the left side a lady, on the sides the letters H-S
Reverse smooth with a few scratches.
People with a begging badge were entitled to beg on the streets of Gdańsk, but they could also participate in the distribution at the Municipal Shooting Range, which took place once a month, had the right to treatment in the Lazaretto and basic care in other hospitals, as well as to primary education for their children.
For more on begging badges, see Tomasz Maćkowski, Gdańskie odznaki żebracze (XVI-XVIII w.), Studia Historica Gedanensia, vol. XI, 2020, pp. 149-161.
Lead, dimensions 66 x 58 mm, weight 56.54 g
