The current coat of arms was adopted in 1789, although prior to that it was significantly simpler, ranging from stylized lettering to a caricature of a beaver.

The coat of arms is meant to represent the "symbols of industry and its rewards to man and beast on land and sea".

And it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the said city of Albany, and their successors, as they shall see cause, to break, change, alter and new make their said common seal, and as often as to them shall seem convenient.

Signed by Albany's first mayor, Pieter Schuyler, the document was sealed with red wax, the design on which was an octagon with a monogram of the letters ALB in the center topped with a crown (see Figure 1).

Its lower half contains two golden sheaves of wheat on a red background; this design represents Albany's agricultural past.

The upper half, which has a silver background, depicts a beaver gnawing at the stump of a fallen tree.

The men stand on a scroll displaying the motto Assiduity, meaning "the quality of acting with constant and careful attention".

[16] The coat of arms represents the "symbols of industry and its rewards to man and beast on land and sea".

[14] It was based on the Prince's Flag as flown by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), for which Hudson sailed in 1609.

Its flag was also a tricolor and included the company's logo where the Albany coat of arms is located today.

The flag was surrounded by controversy in 1916, when Albany's Common Council voted to change the colors to red, white, and blue as a show of patriotism during World War I.

[14] A life-size sculpture of the coat of arms was created by artist and former Times Union political cartoonist Hy Rosen in 1986.