Background
The next year his son Johann Georg was born, and in 1636 his youngest son Martin Junior. was born.
The next year his son Johann Georg was born, and in 1636 his youngest son Martin Junior. was born.
He was the father of the medallist Johann Georg Holtzhey. He worked in the Hague, Amsterdam, Harderwijk and Middelburg. He started striking medals for special occasions and made a name for himself among collectors in this way, making medals for major events, to mark an anniversary, or simply to herald in a new year.
Examples are his 1736 medal in honor of the 200th anniversary of Menno Simons leaving the Catholic faith, and his 1740 medal in celebration of the 300th anniversary of Laurens Janszoon Coster"s discovery of moveable type.
His medals were popular with wealthy followers of the enlightenment, such as Pieter Teyler van der Hulst. He commemorated this with a medal in his own honor.
In 1755 he commemorated himself again on the occasion of his 25th anniversary of striking historical medals. In 1754 he became mint master of Zeeland in Middelburg.
This is the same year that a strange penny piece was coined in Middelburg known as the "Ementor duit". who assisted his father until he took over his position as mint master.
The coat of arms of Zeeland include a lion half under water. The motto is "Luctor et Emergo", or "I struggle and emerge". In the year 1754 the new duits were coined with "Luctor et Ementor", or "I struggle and go under", which would imply the lion is drowning rather than emerging from the floods.