Scottish Coins & Tokens
======>Remember,
postage is included<======
Scottish Jacobite & Earlier Medals
WSC-6929: James Francis Edward Stuart
/ James III of Scotland Silver Touch Piece.
See the excellent “The Sovereign Remedy” by Noel Woolf
(ISBN 0 901603 01 5) for everything you need to know about touchpieces and the
Kings & Queens that personally handed them out. The would-be James III of England or James
VIII of Scotland was in exile in Italy immediately following his second
unsuccessful invasion of Scotland in 1715.
It was while in exile in the Palazzo del Re, Rome (courtesy of the pope)
that he had these silver touch pieces made for both his English and Scottish
supporters. This example is very much an
Italian commission due to the IAC.III obverse legend, as opposed to the French
commissioned English IAC 3 and Scottish IAC 8 reverse legends. James gave them out in very tiny quantities
during special Touching Ceremonies where, because he was in direct contact with
God, he had the power to cure Scofula (TB). Or so he believed. This one is from a collection dating back to
the 1880's – see tickets. This image here, from an auction
just last year, illustrates just how
rare these Scottish pieces are (and how bad the auction house was at estimating
value!) - they were produced in such tiny quantities and very few survived. Guaranteed to have been personally touched by
James when he gave this out to a Scrofula sufferer at one of the
ceremonies. This is a piece of Scottish
and English (but mainly Scottish!!) history.
£1,475
WSC-7392:
1697 Scottish Jacobite
Medal – The Treaty of Ryswick. Issued by the Stuarts, as part of a series,
and likely intended for distribution in
WSC-8989: Scottish 1708 Jacobite
Medal - Map of Great Britain. Prince James, the Elder Pretender to the
throne. MI ( ii) 312/133, by Norbert Roettier in AE metal.
An interesting medal depicting the
WSC-7688:
1731 Scottish Jacobite
Medal – Bonnie Prince Charlie. A
large medal (crown sized) in base metal showing “The Legitimacy of the Jacobite Succession”, through the children of
James III: Charles the Young Pretender and Prince Henry. From a very old collection; Hugo Harpur-Crew of Calke Abbey in
Derbyshire. The Harpurs
were Baronets. I am unable to ascertain if
the Harpurs had any links to the Jacobite cause. A silver example of
this medal sold for over £1,000 after commissions. Eimer 521.
An interesting medal. £345
WSC-9002: Bonnie Prince Charlie
Scottish Jacobite Medal - 1749. The Legitimacy of Jacobite
Succession. A highlander squares up with
the legend, "Who can contend with me?
I will leave no stone unturned to obtain that". The reverse an expanded rose with the legend,
"My affairs are at issue" - a reference to the Treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle which basically meant that the French (the Jacobites only friendly
state at the time) switched from them to George II of
Jacobite Touchpieces - Guaranteed to have been Touched by the Monarch
WSC-9038: Scottish James III
Jacobite Touch-Piece which is Guaranteed Touched by James. James Francis Edward Stuart. Circa 1720's.
This silver touchpiece would have been personally touched by the
would-be James VIII and given out to a sufferer of Scrofula, or modern day tuberculosis. This "Touching Ceremony" goes way
back. It was basically the monarch of
the day saying that as God had put him on the throne, he (the monarch) was a
conduit of God, thereby when the monarch personally touched the touchpiece and
gave it to the sufferer, God himself had also touched it, thus a rapid cure of
Scrofula was all but certain. Some
cynics might claim that this was nothing more than a massive self-promotion on
the monarch's part? However, it was
hugely popular and near universally accepted as having value throughout the
land, even though I suspect the difference it made to sufferers of TB was as
close to nothing as you can get. James
Francis Edward Stuart, ever keen to promote his right by God to be monarch,
would have been a fool to not perform the Touching Ceremony, and indeed he
embraced it for all he was worth whilst in exile in Italy.
When the exiled King James VII and II died in 1701, his
son James Francis Edward Stuart took up the reins of the Jacobite cause.
He laid claim to the thrones of
Only ever
struck in silver, and made with holes already in place in order that recipients
should wear them on a chain around their necks, firmly touching the bare skin
at all times, these Jacobite touchpieces are considerably rarer than the
English gold examples - this being only the second example I have ever
had. See here for a
detailed write up of this touchpiece.
Although four or five orders were placed and received for James VIII
touchpieces, only x22 pieces are extant today.
This one is type Obv.1 / Rev.1 - see THE SOVEREIGN REMEDY by Noel Woolf, a thoroughly excellent book with much information on
touchpieces throughout the ages. A rare
offering indeed. £1,850
Hammered Gold & Silver
Coinage
David 1st
WSC-8144:
David 1st Early Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Period D - a
posthumous issue literally struck under the boy king Malcom
IV's reign, 1153-65. Right facing bust
with angled sceptre to the right (a quick camera phone image inserted as the
main image wasn't great); cross fleury with a pellet
in each quarter with NO pellets being on stalks - occasionally you get two
stalks, sometimes four. Little legend
extant but it would have been blundered (meaningless) anyway. Spink 5010.
David was the first Scottish king to issue coinage. The main mints were initially in Carlisle,
following the capture of Carlisle by the Scots in AD 1136 (Carlisle already had
an established mint which had been operated by the English together with silver
mines nearby) and Edinburgh but in the later Periods, B, C and D, mints were
opened in Roxburgh, Berwick and Perth.
Under Prince Henry, who unfortunately died a year before his father,
David 1st, mints also operated in Corbridge and Bamborough. Period D
coinage is likely to have been Roxburgh and Berwick. This one short of flan. Should you be fortunate enough to find
another David 1st penny sale, it will almost certainly cost you more than this
one! Good coins are around the £10,000
mark now. Old tickets here. A rare issue, being the first ever Scottish
king to issue coinage, appealing to both David 1st and Malcolm IV collectors
alike. £1,950
Prince Henry, Earl of Northumberland & Huntingdon
WSC-7916:
Scottish Prince Henry
Hammered Silver Cut Halfpenny - Excessively Rare ERL Variety. Period A so circa 1139 - mid 1140's. Obverse: [hEN]RIC ERL
- as Stephen's Watford B.M.C. 1 type but having the extremely rare legend
variety. I am unable to find any extant
examples in any of the major collections I have reference books to (Scottish
National, Hunterian,
Malcolm IV
WSC-9014: Malcolm IV Scottish
Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.
Front facing bust of Malcolm, sceptre either side (the right sceptre more
angled than the left and not as clear), type IIa,
Spink 5016. Obverse: [MA]LCO[LM REX];
reverse: [HVGO ON ROCABVRG] - Hugo of Roxburgh.
All types have Hugo as moneyer and all are out of Roxburgh, although
Berwick is a theoretical possibility as a further mint town. The difficulty lies in only a single digit
total population with some of those being cut quarters and cut halves. Further, all Malcolm IV coins are poor (bar the
one which is described below, and even that has a poor pair of legends), resulting
in no coins having full (or even remotely full) obverse or reverse legends -
these being pieced together using several different coins from the extant
population. Coincraft sum that up nicely
here. Type IIa (front
facing bust, cross fleury with pellets - rarer still
with the x4 accompanying stalks) is the rarest of all Malcolm IV pennies
although it goes without saying that all Malcolm IV coins are excessively
rare. I've been looking to buy any type
for the entire lifetime of this website (nearly 25 years now) as well as a good
few years prior to that eventful day!
This is the very first (and only) example I've seen on the open market
in all that time. The National Museum of
Scotland, which has a very impressive and in-depth coin collection, has no
Malcolm IV examples in their collection - indeed, they gloss over the reign
completely in their Sylloge (my edition is 1977) by going from David 1st / Earl
Henry straight to William the Lion. The
William 1st
Early
Issues: Crescent & Pellet coinage, circa 1174-95
WSC-8068: William 1st, The Lion,
Rare Early Scottish Hammered Silver Crescent & Pellet Penny. Phase II Sterling, circa 1180-95. Roxburgh mint. Obv:
bust left with wide crown, sceptre-head with cross pommée. Rev: +RAVL [DE] RO[XE]B[VR] - Raul of
Roxburgh: short cross pattée with crescents and pellets in angles. Spink 5025.
William gained the title "The Lion" not through any particular
act of bravery but rather through changing the dragon on the arms of
WSC-7978:
CHOICE William
1st, The Lion, Rare Early Scottish Hammered Silver Crescent & Pellet Penny. Phase 1
Provenance:
Ex
Richard A.
Jourdan July 2007
Short
Cross & Stars “PHASE A” coinage, circa 1195-1205
WSC-9015: William 1st, The Lion,
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.
Short cross & stars, rarer and earlier phase A, 1195 - 1205. Spink 5027.
RAVL:ON:ROCE - Roxburgh
mint. Good left facing bust of William,
sceptre before, crown of pellets.
Reverse better. William was the
younger brother of Malcolm IV. In
December 1189, William met Richard Coeur de Lion (Richard 1st of
WSC-7282:
William 1st
“The Lion” Scottish Medieval Penny.
Short cross & stars coinage of 1195 – 1205. Spink 5027.
+RAVL ON ROCEB – rarer Roxburgh mint. The
Sylloge of Coins of the
WSC-7970:
William 1st
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.
Phase A, Short cross & stars coinage of 1195 – 1205. Spink 5027.
+hVE ON EDNEBVR –
WSC-8011: William 1st, The Lion,
Scottish Hammered Silver Voided Short Cross & Stars Penny. Phase A
Provenance:
Bought Seaby
1982
Ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
Short
Cross & Stars “PHASE B” coinage, circa 1205-1230
WSC-7345:
William 1st
“The Lion” Scottish Hammered Silver Penny.
Short Cross & Stars, Phase B coinage of 1205-1230. Spink 5029.
Obverse: the rarer LE REI WILAM obverse regnal reading; reverse: +hVE WALTER – jointly struck by the moneyers of the Edinburgh & Perth mints. An excellent portrait piece, being just as
good as the Spink plate coin. £425
WSC-8049:
William 1st
“The Lion” Scottish Hammered Silver Penny.
Short Cross & Stars, Phase B coinage of 1205-1230. Spink 5029.
Obverse: the rarer LE REI W[ILA]M obverse regnal reading; reverse: +hVE WALT[E]R – jointly struck by the moneyers of the Edinburgh & Perth mints. An excellent portrait piece, being just as
good as the Spink plate coin. £395
WSC-9005: William 1st THE LION
Hammered Scottish Silver Medieval Penny.
Short cross & stars issue, Phase B, bust 1, circa 1205-30. HVE WALTER reverse - those two moneyers
working jointly out of Edinburgh and
Perth. This specific issue struck circa
1205-1214. Spink 5029. Unusual obverse legend. £295
Provenance:
ex Spink
Circular 1974
ex Baldwins 2023
WSC-8169:
Alexander II (2nd)
Medieval Scottish Hammered Silver Penny.
Phase C (the
Phase A on the tickets refers to the style under William 1st, Spink 5027-8),
circa 1230-34: coinage in the name of Alexander’s father, William the Lion: +:
WILLELMVS REX. For some reason, possibly
because Alexander II was very busy with insurrections, invasions and intrigue
throughout his reign, coinage retained William’s name for some twenty years,
although the portraits were of Alexander II.
Joint moneyers working out of Roxburgh: AIMER & ADAM ON RO. 1.08g,
2h. Spink 5034. Good F for this particular issue. Rare coin.
£695
Provenance
Ex Spink
WSC-7650:
Alexander II (2nd)
Medieval Scottish Hammered Silver Penny.
Phase C, circa
1230-34: coinage in the name of Alexander’s father, William the Lion: +:
WILELMVS REX although this is the rare variety where the obverse legend is
retrograde. For some reason, possibly
because Alexander II was very busy with insurrections, invasions and intrigue
throughout his reign, coinage retained William’s name for some twenty years,
although the portraits were Alexander II.
Joint moneyers working out of Roxburgh: PERIS ADAM DE ROCI. 1.16g, 3h. Ashmolean 82, Burns 66c, Spink 5034. Near VF for this particular issue. Rare coin.
£745
WSC-7759:
Alexander II (2nd)
Scottish Hammered Silver Voided Short Cross Penny. The first issue, Phase C, circa 1230-34: coinage
in the name of Alexander’s father, William the Lion: +: WILELMVS REX. For some reason, possibly because Alexander
II was very busy with insurrections, invasions and intrigue throughout his
reign, coinage retained William’s name for some twenty years, although the
portraits were Alexander II. Joint
moneyers working out of Roxburgh:
PERIS ADAM ON RO. 1.32g, 6h. SCBI 35,
Burns 67a, Spink 5034. Near VF for this
particular issue. Rare coin and a rarer
still Burns’ variety. £845
WSC-7966:
Rare Alexander
II (2nd) in Alexander's name Scottish Hammered Silver Penny. Short cross & stars, Phase D, circa
1235. Roxburgh mint, left facing bust with sceptre,
Spink 5036. Obverse: [A]LEXANDER RE[X];
reverse: PIER[ES] ON ROE. The impressive
EMC / SCBI database has no examples. The
1st Issue Pennies
WSC-6793: Alexander III Rarer 1st
Issue STIRLING Mint Penny. Long
cross & stars, 1250-80. hO(N) RI. ON^S TR – Henri of
WSC-8012: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Voided Long Cross & Stars Penny. First coinage,
Provenance:
Nottinghamshire metal
detecting find, 2004
Ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
WSC-7978:
Alexander III
Early Scottish Hammered Silver First Coinage Penny. Long cross & stars, ANDREW ON R - moneyer
Andrews at the Roxburgh
mint (knowing what to look for, the entire mint reading is just about
discernable). Type 3, Spink 5043. A common enough variety but it its favour, the
rarer moneyer and obvious grade, particularly the portrait. £485
2nd Coinage Pennies
WSC-6856: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Second
coinage, 1280-86. Edinburgh mint town.
Class E, Spink 5056. Not a great
eye appeal coin (worn and centrally pierced) but a rare 20 point reverse. £55
WSC-6769: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Second coinage,
1280-86. Perth mint town. Class E, Spink 5056. £145
WSC-6881: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Second
coinage, 1280-86. Perth mint town.
Rarer class D, Spink 5057. From an old collection – see original ticket here. £135
WSC-7275:
Alexander III
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.
Sterling class E with x20 points making this
WSC-8017: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Long Cross & Mullets Penny. Second coinage,
Provenance:
Ex A. Gillis (May 2002)
Ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
WSC-8130:
Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Long Cross & Mullets Penny. Second coinage,
Provenance:
Ex A. Gillis (May 2004)
Ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
WSC-8131:
Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Long Cross & Mullets Penny. Second coinage,
Provenance:
Ex Steve Blencoe
(2008)
Ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
WSC-9006: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Medieval Penny.
Second coinage, x26 points to the mullets so
Provenance:
ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
John Baliol
WSC-8018: John Baliol
Scottish Hammered Silver Long Cross & Mullets Penny. First coinage, rough surface issue, circa
1292-6. Berwick mint.
Obv: +IOhANNES DEI GRA, bust left. Rev: +REX SCOTORVM, long cross with x4
mullets of six points in angles. Spink
5065. John Baliol
was “chosen” out of thirteen competitors for the Scottish throne upon the death
of Alexander III. The English king,
Edward I, was the arbitrator. John Baliol’s four year reign ended in 1296 with his abdication
when Berwick,
WSC-8132:
John Baliol
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Long Cross Penny. First coinage, "Rough Surface"
issue, struck early on in the 1292-6 period.
The rare
WSC-9044:
John Baliol
Scottish Hammered Silver Long Cross & Stars Penny. Second coinage, smooth surface issue, circa
1292-6. Berwick mint.
Obv: +IOhANNES DEI GRA, bust left. Rev: +REX SCOTORVM, long cross with x4
mullets or stars of six points in angles.
Spink 5071. John Baliol was “chosen” out of
thirteen competitors for the Scottish throne upon the death of Alexander
III. The English king, Edward I, was the
arbitrator. John Baliol’s
four year reign ended in 1296 with his abdication when Berwick,
Provenance:
ex Mike Vosper
Robert “The
Bruce” 1st
Pennies
WSC-7619:
Robert The Bruce
Hammered Silver Medieval Penny.
Robert 1st, 1306-29.
Crowned head left, sceptre before, beaded circles and legend
surrounding, +:ROBERTVS: DEI: GRA:, rev. long cross pattée, pierced mullet of
five points in each quarter, beaded circles +SCO TOR Vm
R EX, weight 1.35g (Burns 1, figure 225; Spink 5076). One of two star coins in the 2009 Drayton Hoard
(the other was also a Robert Bruce that was sold through HistoryInCoins
WSC-8165:
Robert The Bruce
Hammered Silver Medieval Penny.
Robert 1st, 1306-29.
Crowned head left, sceptre before, beaded circles and legend
surrounding, +:ROBERTVS: DEI: GRA:, rev. long cross pattée, pierced mullet of
five points in each quarter, beaded circles +SCO TOR VMR EX, weight 1.33g
(Burns 1, figure 225; Spink 5076). A
direct descendant of David 1st, Robert Bruce was crowned in 1306, on the back
of ten turbulent years with various armies moving backwards and forwards over
David II
Groats
WSC-6773: David II Medieval Scottish
Hammered Silver Groat. Third
(Light) coinage, 1367-71 VILLA
EDINBVRGH –
Pennies
WSC-7490: David II Medieval Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Second coinage, 1351-7,
Robert II
Pennies
WSC-8170:
Robert II Medieval Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. 1371-90,
WSC-6093: Robert II Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. 1371-90,
WSC-7935:
Robert II
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.
The first Scottish king of the Stewart line.
WSC-7944:
Robert II
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.
The first Scottish king of the Stewart line.
Robert III
WSC-8124:
Robert III Scottish
Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.
Heavy coinage,
WSC-7980:
Choice Robert
III Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Groat. Heavy coinage of 1390 - 1403. Initial mark Cross Pattée,
Provenance:
ex Dr James Davidson
collection
ex R.M.
Kirton collection
Ex
Bermondsey Coins (£750 ticket price)
WSC-9007: Robert III Scottish
Hammered Silver Stuart Groat. Heavy
coinage,
Provenance:
ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
James I
WMH-8171:
James 1st Medieval Hammered
Silver Round Halfpenny. Front facing
bust of rougher work; crown of three fleurs with large
central fleur - a non regal, unofficial dies, contemporary counterfeit of the
day example, based on the style and rather random lettering. The Mike Vosper ticket had this as Scottish
James 1st. I've pondered and pondered
over this little coin, going from James 1st halfpenny to the small James III
pennies and back to the English Henry V coinage. It could easily be Henry V of
WSC-8145:
James 1st Medieval
Scottish Hammered Silver Groat.
First fleur-de-lis issue, 1406-37 but early on in that reign for this
first issue.
Provenance:
Ex Leland
Scott collection
WSC-8146:
James 1st Medieval
Scottish Hammered Silver Groat.
First fleur-de-lis issue, 1406-37 but early on in that reign for this
first issue. Linlithgow mint - an extremely rare
provincial Scottish mint. Sceptre to the
left - Spink 5199. The price of silver
rose steadily throughout
Provenance:
Ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage), purchased 2014
James II
WSC-8073:
James II
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.
Second coinage, second issue, type IIb. Initial mark Crown,
Provenance:
ex C. Blom collection (1966)
ex DNW
ex M.
Lessen collection
ex R.M. Kirton collection
WSC-9008: James II Scottish
Hammered Silver Stuart Groat.
Circulated at six pence. First
coinage,
Provenance:
J & R Edmiston
Auction, Glasgow, May 1976
ex R.A. Macpherson
collection, September 2009
ex R.W. Kirton
collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive
collection of Scottish coinage)
James III
Groat
WSC-7551:
James III
Hammered Silver Scottish Groat. Type
VI, main issue of 1484-88.
Penny
WSC-7698:
Scottish James
III Hammered Copper Three-Penny Penny.
Formally regarded as an Ecclesiastical “Crossraguel”
issue of Bishop Kennedy. Spink
5309. If you’re interested, the Scottish
had a penchant for naming coins from the actual coin legends (the Nonsunt under Mary springs to mind) and this is no
exception. James III was an interesting
individual. Crowned aged 9, the Scots
lost Berwick to keep the peace with England but gained Orkney and the Shetland
Isles as a part dowry (which makes you wonder what the other part of the dowry
was!) when James married Margaret of Denmark (she was just 13). James III was so unpopular due to his
lifestyle and blind insistence upon a policy of pursuing an alliance with the
WSC-7722: James III Scottish
Hammered Billon Silver Penny. Billon
coinage, 1475-82,
James IV
WSC-9041:
James IV
Scottish Hammered Billon Silver Penny.
Second issue, type III with the larger bust.
James V
WSC-6799: James V Scottish Stuart
Hammered Billon Silver Bawbee. Third coinage, 1538-42. Struck at 0.250 silver fineness (earlier
silver issues under “normal” times were struck at 0.833 silver fineness)
although looking at this coin, you’d perhaps question if it really is that
low. Annulet over obverse I so Spink
5384. 1.89 grams, 23mm. Rarer monarch. £235
WSC-8037:
James V Scottish
Hammered Silver Stuart Groat. Second
coinage (the first was just gold), 1526-39.
Type IIIc(i), Spink
5378. Holyrood Abbey Mint. James ascended the throne aged just one year
old. Coincidentally, upon her father's
death, Mary (the future Mary Queen of Scots), James's only legitimate heir, was
only seven days old when she ascended!
You'd be challenged to source average or lesser grade James V groats for
under £1,000 these days - this coin is definitely not one of those. A high grade example of one of the most
attractive hammered silver coins ever to be issued, not just in
Provenance:
ex Ramussen
(2014)
ex R.M.
Kirton collection
WSC-9009: James V Scottish Hammered
Silver Stuart Groat. Second coinage (the first was just
gold), 1526-39. Type III, Spink
5378. Holyrood Abbey Mint. James ascended the throne aged just one year
old. Coincidentally, upon her father's
death, Mary (the future Mary Queen of Scots), James's only legitimate heir, was
only seven days old when she ascended!
You'd be challenged to source average or lesser grade James V groats for
under £1,000 these days - this coin is definitely not one of those. A high grade example of one of the most
attractive hammered silver coins ever to be issued, not just in
WSC-8019: Choice 1558 Mary Queen of
Scots Hammered Silver Testoon. First period before marriage, 1542-58. Type IIIb with the
low-arched crown and no annulets below the M and the R, initial mark
Crown. Spink 5406. No muling of the
dates, which is unusual, and interestingly, clear evidence that the 155- part
of the date on the obverse was on the die with the final digit, in this case an
8, being added later, and even some evidence that the same occurred on the
reverse as there is a cap between the first three and the final digits. Scottish coinage in general was a product of
miniscule mintage figures compared to south of the border with extant examples
disappearing even faster as a result of various currency recalls where coinage
would be taken in to go into the melting pot upon the death of every old
monarch to release silver for new monarch coinage. There was also a huge recall of coinage in
1707 as a result of the Act of Union: £142,180 face value of hammered Scottish
coinage and £96,856 face value of milled Scottish coinage was brought into the
Provenance:
Ex Libertas
collection, purchased Oct 1980 for US $850
WSC-7828:
Mary Queen of
Scots Hammered Billon Silver Bawbee.
Struck in the first period of Mary’s reign, 1542-58,
WSC-7692:
Mary Scottish
Stuart Hammered Billon Silver Bawbee.
First period, 1542-58, before her marriage - remember, Mary was born
December 1542. Issue of ¾ alloy although
looking much higher in the hand.
WSC-7104:
Mary Queen of
Scots Hammered Billon Silver Bawbee.
Struck in the first period of Mary’s reign, 1542-58,
WSC-7209:
Mary, Queen of
Scots, Hammered Silver Bawbee or Sixpence.
Struck in the first period of Mary’s reign, 1542-58,
WSC-7587:
1557 Mary
Queen of Scots Hammered Billon Siler Plack. First period before Mary’s marriage,
1542-58. Issue of ¾ (.750) alloy. Spink 5437.
Circulated as a fourpenny piece. £245
WSC-7822:
1559 Scottish
Mary Queen of Scots Hammered Billon Silver Nonsunt. A twelve penny groat struck in the second
period, 1558-60, under both Mary and her husband, Francis. It was an issue of half alloy (.5 fine) which
was actually quite high considering the Lions of the same date which were 23/24
alloy - basically base metal. The
obverse crowned heraldic dolphin is facing left (it's my belief that left facing
is the rarer of the two) so this is Spink 5448.
If you're scratching your head over the derivation of the term "nonsunt", look no further than the reverse
legend. A small hole at
WSC-9045:
1565 Mary and Henry
Darnley Scottish Hammered Silver Two Thirds Ryal. Fourth period, circulated at 20
shillings.
WSC-7701:
1575 Scottish
James VI Hammered Silver Half Merk or Noble. Second coinage, 6s 8d, Spink 5478. A better date. Ex Mark Rasmusson. Very nice grade. £395
WJC-7790:
1582 James VI
Hammered Silver Ten Shillings. Fourth
coinage, Spink 5490,
WSC-8050:
1594 James VI
Scottish Hammered Silver Five Shillings.
Seventh coinage, bare-headed bust of James VI (future James 1st of
WSC-7413: James VI Scottish Hammered
Silver Eightpenny Groat. Coinage of 1583-90, being before James VI
took on the English throne after the death of Elizabeth 1st in
1604.
WSC-7656:
1602 James VI Scottish
Stuart Hammered Silver Full Merk. Eighth coinage, Spink 5497.
Rarer 13 shilling, 4 pence denomination with a very clear date. £265
WSC-8063: Scottish James VI Hammered
Silver 30 Shillings. Initial mark
Thistle. The rarer Type II variety -
Spink 5504. £345
WAu-9046:
1602 James VI Hammered
Gold Sword & Sceptre Piece of 120 Shillings. Eighth gold coinage (1601-4), struck in 22ct
gold whilst James was still only James VI of
Charles 1st
WAu-9025: Charles 1st Hammered
Gold SCOTTISH Eighth Unit. Third
coinage, 1637-42, Briot issue, right at the start of
this coinage. Spink 5538. An EF grade coin, far surpassing the plate
coin Spink put up, with all the vast resources at their fingertips. Some interesting political graffiti lightly
behind the king's head ("6" - obviously someone back in the day
making a point as to the Scottish heritage of both the coin and the king) which
is barely discernable and would polish out if desired. An outstanding coin with equally impressive
provenance. See here for all the old
tickets and here
for weight. An exciting and very rare
Scottish hammered gold offering. £4,545
Provenance
Ex Mark Rasmusson (2013),
sold to
Ex Maurice Bull collection,
dispersed to
WSC-7871:
Charles 1st
Scottish 30 Shillings. Third
coinage, intermediate issue, 1637-42.
14.76g, 6h. SCBI 35, 1457 (same
dies), Spink 5554, Bull 7 (this coin illustrated). Initial mark Thistle both sides. An intermediate issue falling between Briot and Falconer although the horse is a Briot style horse.
Ex Colonel Morrieson (1987 - acquired from a
Spink sale of that same year), ex Maurice Bull.
Old tickets here
and here. An interesting contemporary political
defacement in the form of a scrape on the king on this otherwise Good VF grade
coin. £1,795
WSC-9031: Charles 1st Scottish
Hammered Silver Twelve Shillings - A Hugely Significant Coin. Third
coinage, 1637-42, Type IV Falconer issue, the rarest (and final) Type IV issue
with the bust wholly within the inner circle.
Spink 5563. So, two things:
1) This
coin has been centrally pierced as part of the 1696 Great Re-coinage, largely
overseen by Sir Isaac Newton at the mint.
Hammered coinage in
a. Due to the
mint’s promise of a like-for-like value replacement, regardless of condition,
many enterprising individuals, before submitting for exchange, clipped their
hammered coinage further still, retaining the silver shavings to be utilised
for effectively what was free money later on.
b. As a direct
result of this extra clipping, together with the high cost of minting the new
milled coinage, the government lost a great deal of money – nearly £3
million.
c. The timing was
appalling – the new milled money was not ready in time for an exchange. Riots threatened and there was great public
unrest until the government bridged the period by issuing paper notes.
d. The infamous
Window Tax, of which we’re all still cognisant of today, was introduced
specifically to pay for this near £3 million financial black hole. There have been some bad government taxes
over the years, but a window tax?!
Bearing in mind there were
not actually that many hammered coins that passed the grade in 1696 (the
process was actually 1696-99), together with the fact that post 1699, whenever
a pierced hammered coin passed through the hands of officialdom, it would
inevitably be withdrawn, it’s perhaps easy to see why these coins are
rare. You really don’t see than many of
them. Georgian and Victorian gentlemen
collectors would not be interested in pierced coins (these were the people who
mutilated the Cromwell crowns by smoothing over the infamous die flaw because
they couldn’t live with them as they were!!), which is another reason why these
extremely interesting coins are so rare.
2) The 1696 Great
Re-coinage of 1696 was absolutely an English move and yet this coin is very
much Scottish! What would have happened
was that this coin would have been traded down from
I have never seen or even
heard of a Scottish coin connected with the 1696 Great
Re-coinage before - the Irish Charles 1st Blacksmith halfcrown I put up on the
website a few years back was centrally pierced not because of 1696 but simply
to denote it wasn't legal currency.
However, there is a single Scottish reference I've managed to source,
and it is just a single reference in amongst all the English extant examples: The
Punched Hammered Coinage of 1696 (Galata 2019) by
Garry Charman lists a Scottish Charles 1st twelve
shilling piece, centrally pierced, as a result of the Great Recoinage,
and would you believe it, the coin was also the rarer type IV, Spink 5563! Not the same coin though. A very rare coin indeed. £440
WSC-6015: Scottish Charles 1st
Hammered Silver Twelve Shillings. Third
coinage, 1637 – 1642. Falconer’s second
issue, type IV. Spink 5563. The coin is sold with a very old ticket,
possibly WW2 period, stating that this coin was purchased for twenty five shillings. £325
WSC-7744:
1625 Charles 1st
Scottish Hammered Silver Six Shillings.
First coinage, first date in series, Spink 5543. This is an excessively rare issue – Charles’
Scottish coronation didn’t happen until 1633 and no new dies were produced
until then. Dies of James VI were
altered, under an official directive, and coinage was issued as Charles 1st
using the old, modified dies This
resulted in the Twelve Shilling and Six Shilling coins literally having a bust
of James VI on the front with just a quick name change to the legend and a
tweak or two to the beard. This Charles
1st Six Shilling issue, along with the James VI Six Shilling issue,
often goes well under the radar with many people think these coins are simply
English dated sixpences. I refer the
reader to the Scottish James VI section of this website for extra
information. You might be thinking that
this isn’t much of a coin to look at and just looking at it, you’d be correct. However, nice grade examples do not turn up
simply because this issue was generally poorly struck using modified, often
worn-out dies. The Spink plate coin is a
£5,000+ coin. This is one of the rarest
Charles 1st Scottish silver coin issues, if not the rarest. I’d be surprised if this coin didn’t attract
a buyer very quickly. £1,245 RESERVED (M.He.9-5-22
Lay-Away)
WSC-8147:
Charles 1st Stuart
Scottish Hammered Silver Two Shillings.
A final and thus very late fourth issue of 1642, right in the middle of
the Civil War, or specifically, the first of three Civil Wars for this
period. Large II behind the bust, no
mark for Briot - Spink 5593. Interestingly, the Scottish had fought in
support of the English Parliamentarians in the First English Civil War, but
sent an army in support of Charles I into
WSC-6946: Scottish Charles 1st
UNRECORDED Hammered Silver Forty Pence.
Third coinage, Briot-Falconer transitional
issue of 1637-42 with an F (for Falconer) modified from a B (for Briot) below the reverse thistle. At first glance this appears to be a standard
B below the reverse thistle, so Spink 5576.
However, it’s clearly an F, modified from the earlier B – note the
slightly bulbous top vertical and the very start of the bottom bulbous part of
the B protruding slightly from the centre, these being the only aspects of the
underlying B. Everything else about this
letter is an F. See the following image,
although please note that all letters have been rotated to the upright for ease
of use. There actually is no Falconer 40
pence recorded with an F below, only the B below. However, Briot’s
Spink 5576 with a B below is a B lying on its back, facing upwards, whilst this
letter is 180 degrees rotated and facing downwards. It’s an F for Falconer and as such, unrecorded. Falconer naturally followed on from Briot during the Third Coinage of Charles 1st
Scottish coins so this coin would appear to be a very rare transition from Briot to Falconer.
You’d think that one engraver would be highly unlikely to basically take
his predecessor’s dies, churn out coinage and then call them his own by way of
putting his mark on them and doing nothing else. However, Nicholas Briot
was appointed master of the Scottish mint in 1634 and later joined by his
son-in-law, John Falconer, who eventually succeeded him in 1646. By keeping things in the family and having an
organic “passing on of the baton”, it becomes much more plausible that Falconer
did the above. An interesting coin;
potentially the “missing link” between Briot and
Falconer. Perhaps it will be termed
Third Coinage, type IIA as it certainly comes before Falconer’s first recorded
type III. £395
WSC-7880:
Charles 1st
Scottish Hammered Silver 40 Pence with Excellent Provenance. Third coinage, type 1 Briot
issue, Spink 5579. See old tickets here:
Burns p.462/14 but different dies, Murray O6/Rf. Ex Cochran-Patrick (his old ticket), sold to Seaby 1950. An
uncommon denomination, seeming getting rarer by the day, but more importantly,
bearing in mind the usual poor, damaged state these 40d coins usually turn up
in, a very good grade example - given as VF by old tickets. A rare opportunity to acquire not only a good
grade Scottish Stuart coin, but one with long provenance. £345
WSC-7674:
Stuart Charles 1st
Scottish Hammered Silver Forty Pence.
Third coinage, 1637-42, type 1 using Briot
dies. Spink 5577. There were five types in the third coinage –
three for Falconer, one intermediate but only one for Briot. A much rarer denomination compared to the
twenty pence. Generally a poor issue,
this being one of the best grade examples I’ve had. £255
WSC-6989: Charles 1st
Hammered Silver Scottish Twenty Pence.
The rarer second coinage (Briot’s hammered
issue) of 1636 only, not to be confused with the later third coinage. Spink 5550.
Sold with an old dealer’s ticket together with an information slip and
an annotated coin envelope. £145
WSC-7911:
1637-42 Charles 1st
Scottish 20 Pence. Third coinage,
Falconer issue. Spink 5591. Provenance going right
back to July 1955. Good grade for
issue. £195
WSC-6874: Scottish Charles 1st
Copper Turner. Earl of Stirling
coinage, 1632-39. Spink 5598. Part of a single deceased collection put
together from the 1960's onwards with this ticket looking to
be dated 1989. Type 1c with im flower over lozenge.
£48
Milled Coinage
WSC-9010: 1669 Charles II Scottish
Milled Merk.
First coinage
with an unusual and uncommon 270 degree die rotation. Circulated at 13s, 4d. Something you may not have been aware of: the
punches for this coin were actually made in
WJC-7046:
1669 Charles II
Scottish Silver Half Merk. 6s, 8d, struck under the first coinage. Spink 5614.
Rarer en medaille die axis. £165
WSC-6688: 1670 Charles II Scottish
Silver Merk.
First coinage. Interesting for
two reasons: 1. There is a colon after the date and 2. The die axis is 85
degrees which is noted in Spink (p96) as considerably rarer than the standard
180 or en medaille die axis types. £185
WSC-7096:
Charles II 1670
Scottish Milled Half Merk or 6s, 8d. First coinage, Spink 5614. Three factors elevate this coin above most
others: a) High grade for issue, b) The die axis is a rare and bazaar 90
degrees and c) There are no obverse stops (a rare variety recorded by Spink). Both an interesting and rare offering. £435
WSC-6455: 1671 Charles II Scottish
Silver Merk.
First coinage. Interesting for
two reasons: 1. The grade is much better than usually seen and 2. The die axis
is 85 degrees which is noted in Spink (p96) as considerably rarer than the
standard 180 or en medaille die axis types.
£225 RESERVED (J.W.
WSC-6697: 1672 Charles II Scottish
Silver HALF Merk.
First coinage. Spink 5614. Above average for issue. £125
WSC-7284:
1677/6 Scottish
Charles II Milled Silver Quarter Dollar.
Second coinage, Sir John Falconer, Master of the Mint issue. A machine-made issue with the machinery to
facilitate this obtained from
WSC-6096: 1677 Charles II Scottish
Silver 1/16th Dollar.
Second coinage, Sir John Falconer,
Master of the Mint issue. A machine-made
issue with the machinery to facilitate this obtained from
WSC-7105:
1680 Charles II
Scottish Silver Eighth Dollar.
Second coinage, Sir John Falconer, Master of the Mint issue. A machine-made issue with the machinery to
facilitate this obtained from
WSC-5838: 1682 over 1680 Scottish
Charles II Silver ¼ Dollar. Second coinage, Sir John Falconer, Master of the Mint
issue. A machine-made issue with the
machinery to facilitate this obtained from
WSC-9013: 1682/0 Charles II Large
Scottish Milled Dollar or Four Merks. Second coinage with standard 180 degree die rotation. The same size as an English Charles II silver
crown. Falconer's issue (F before the
left facing bust of Charles II), Spink 5618.
Following on from the first coinage four merk
issue, the dies for this piece were redesigned with the reverse Latin legend
now referring separately to
WSC-6657: 1677 Scottish Charles II
Turner / Bodle.
The first date in only a three year issue. Better grade for issue, being actually better
than the Spink plate coin, and benefiting from being the rarer LAESSET error
issue. Spink 5632 (£200 in the 2015
guide). A desirable coin. £125
WSC-6666: 1677 Scottish Charles II
Turner / Bodle.
The first date in only a three year issue. Better grade for issue, being actually better
than the Spink plate coin. Spink 5630
(£135 in the 2015 guide). £55
WSC-6650: 1677 Scottish Charles II
Copper Bawbee or Sixpence. First
date in only a three year issue. Spink
5628. Better grade for issue, being
about as good as the Spink plate coin.
£75
WSC-6651: 1678 Scottish Charles II
Copper Bawbee or Sixpence. Second
date in only a three year issue. Spink
5628. Better grade for issue, being
nearly as good as the Spink plate coin.
£65
WSC-6652: 1679 Scottish Charles II
Copper Bawbee or Sixpence. Third and
rarest date in only a three year issue.
Spink 5628. Better grade for
issue, being nearly as good as the Spink plate coin. £65
James VII
WSC-7979:
1687 James VII
Milled Scottish Silver Ten Shillings.
Laureate bust right, 10 below; St Andrew's cross with National emblems
in angles. The very last Stuart
king. Although a very short reign
(James's insistence on converting to Catholicism was his obvious undoing), the
Scottish coins are even shorter, all being just 1687 and 1688. We all know that James VII of Scotland was
the one and same James II of England but it is interesting to note that all
Scottish coins (and to be fair, there aren't many for James VII, even counting
the spurious 60 shillings) have James II (IACOBVS II) as the obverse legend
start. South of the border, these coins
would have circulated at one shilling.
£285
William &
Mary
WJC-7475: HIGH GRADE and CHOICE 1691
William & Mary Scottish Copper Bawbee.
Circulated at a sixpence. En medaille die rotation.
WJC-7476: HIGH GRADE and CHOICE 1692
William & Mary Scottish Copper Bawbee.
Circulated at a sixpence. 180
degree die rotation.
WJC-7478: HIGH GRADE, CHOICE &
VERY, VERY RARE 1692 DOUBLE DATED William & Mary Scottish Copper Bawbee. Circulated at a sixpence. En medaille die
rotation.
WSC-7908:
1692 William & Mary
Scottish Silver 10 Shillings. Conjoined
busts, GRATIA legend, small 10 under the busts - Spink 5661. If
you’re wondering why it is that Scottish coinage always seems to be worn to
within an inch of its life, it’s because even though
William II
WSC-6921: 1697 William II of
Scotland Silver Five Shillings. A
rare example of a Scottish five shillings – the vast majority of the few you
see will invariably be Queen Anne. A
high grade example, being the best I've ever seen and by some margin. Spink 5688.
You are not seeing much wear on this coin, rather poor dies / inadequate
pressure at the minting stage on the large definition areas, ie the king's
bust. Please ignore the aberration of a
main image in terms of colouring (I may well need a new camera soon!) and use this image to see the
even colouring throughout. £650 in EF in
the Spink 2020 price guide (already quite out of date). There are certainly EF areas to this coin. The English (ie Norman) William I and William II were not
the same person as the Scottish William I, but Scottish William II and English
William III were indeed the same person!!
A very rare coin in this grade. £395
1700’s Church “Communion Tokens” (20% max off all marked prices when you buy 2 or more Communion Tokens!!)
WSC-5472: 1748 Scottish Communion
Church Token. A very early date
indeed. Dull, Perthshire. Burzinski 3585
(image annotation for B number is incorrect).
Rare. £25
WSC-5473: 1793 Scottish Communion
Church Token. An early date. Dull, Perthshire. Burzinski 5029
(image annotation for B number is incorrect).
£25
WSC-4730: 1796 Scottish Communion
Church token. An early date. Rare.
£25
WSC-5700:
1700’s Scottish Communion
Church Token. Mortlack,
Banffshire. Burzinski
4515. £25
WSC-5701:
1700’s Scottish Communion
Church Token. Millbrex,
Aberdeenshire. Burzinski
4512. £25
WSC-5702:
1790 Scottish Communion
Church Token. Craigend,
Perthshire. Minister Robert
Forsyth. Burzinski
1262. £25
H174: 1700's
Scottish Communion Token "LK" - Apparently Unrecorded in Burzinski. See
image for details. Old collection
piece. £25
H173: 1700's
Scottish Communion Token - Berwickshire - Burzinski
6841. See image for details. Old collection piece. £25
H031: 1791
Scottish Communion Token - Leith, Lothians, Burzinski 4197.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
H007: 1775
Scottish Communion Token - Lochgoilphead, Argyll, Burzinski 4167.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
WSC-5943: 1700’s Scottish Communion
Church Token. Lairg,
Sutherland. Burzinski
4067. £25
WSC-5944: 1799 Scottish Communion
Church Token. Liff
& Benvie, Angus.
Burzinski 4269. £25
1800’s Church “Communion Tokens” (20% max off all marked prices when you
buy 2 or more Communion Tokens!!)
WSC-5698: 1871 Scottish Communion
Church Token. Leven,
Fife. Minister John S. Hyslop. Burzinski 4248. £25
H180: 1800's
Scottish Communion Token - St Ninians, North Leith, Burzinski 5280.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
H168: 1843
Scottish Communion Token - Monzie, Perthshire - Burzinski 4974.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
H167: 1835
Scottish Communion Token - Leitholm, Berwickshire - Burzinski 4206.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
H112: 1850
Scottish Communion Token - Musselburgh, Lothians - Burzinski 5108.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
H111: 1838
Scottish Communion Token - Dalkeith, Lothians - Burzinski 1858. See image for details. Old collection piece. £25
H078: 1801
Scottish Communion Token - Mains & Strathmartine
- Burzinski 4594.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
H073: 1802
Scottish Communion Token - Madderty, Perthshire - Burzinski 4581.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25
H034: 1827
Scottish Communion Token - Kinnell, Angus, Burzinski 3832.
See image for details. Old
collection piece. £25