“The staff of the Amsterdamse Sinterklaas has been outstandingly designed by Douzy: around the curl there are 10 fruits of the trades that were- or still are- found in Amsterdam: wood, cacao, tea, tobacco, fish, wheat, diamonds, gold, silver and money. In the heart of the curl is the Amsterdam coat of arms: a shield with ‘in throat a pole of sable’ (which means: in red a column of black) with three Andreas crosses.
On the stem of the staff you can find St. Petrus as the founder of the Christian Church, surrounded by Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. On top there are three acorns as a symbol of fertility. By this they meant the fruits of the right way of life and contact with others. The acorns sprout from an acorn leaf which symbolises the Initiatief Comité Amsterdam. Around the acorns and the acorn branch are stars. They symbolise for those who have put effort into the festivities around Sint-Nicolaas.
At the base of the staff there are four “bishops-civil” : Verkade, Gajentaan, De Klerk and Claassen (Amsterdam). Their coats of arms on which their civil qualities are shown, are supporting them.”