Scottish Coins & Tokens
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Scottish Jacobite & Earlier Medals
WSC-6714: 1697 Scottish Jacobite Medal
The sun rising over a calm sea – the young Price being the sun and the
calm sea being the world. MI 194(ii) /
503. Fortunes of Prince James, the Old
Pretender, copper medallion dated 1697: advocating James (III) to be the English
and Scottish monarch and for the incumbent, William III (William II of
Scotland), to be removed. These were
produced by the old James II of England (James VII of Scotland) - James had
been forced to abdicate the English throne in 1688 and live an exiled life in
France from 1690 (any enemy of England was a friend of France!) - for
distribution amongst the partisans of the Stuarts, most of which seemed to be
in London at the time. Indeed, two
hoards of these highly symbolic medals from the small series were unearthed in
Smithfield and Clement's Lane, Lombard Street in
1865. Previously, the exiled James had
sought to have his cause (namely his son, James, be placed upon the English and
Scottish thrones and for William III be removed) and himself represented at the
Treaty of Ryswick.
Deposing an incumbent monarch from such a royal seat, James's
problematic devotion to Catholicism, and bizarrely, Louis XIV's
outright rejection of James's claim, meant that this was never going to happen
and indeed, the effort proved fruitless and the peace was signed, recognising
William III's claim to the throne. Contrary to what some people state, these
medals were not issued to the delegates from the countries signing the Peace
Treaty at Ryswick in the Netherlands in September
1697, they were simply a device to keep the cause alive, even though everyone
knew the cause was dead. £125
WSC-6715: 1697 Scottish Jacobite Medal A
dove holding an olive branch – the young Price being the dove, offering peace
to the world. MI 195(ii) / 504. Fortunes of Prince James, the Old Pretender,
copper medallion dated 1697: advocating James (III) to be the English and
Scottish monarch and for the incumbent, William III (William II of Scotland),
to be removed. These were produced by
the old James II of England (James VII of Scotland) - James had been forced to
abdicate the English throne in 1688 and live an exiled life in France from 1690
(any enemy of England was a friend of France!) - for distribution amongst the
partisans of the Stuarts, most of which seemed to be in London at the
time. Indeed, two hoards of these highly
symbolic medals from the small series were unearthed in Smithfield and Clement's Lane, Lombard Street in 1865. Previously, the exiled James had sought to
have his cause (namely his son, James, be placed upon the English and Scottish
thrones and for William III be removed) and himself represented at the Treaty
of Ryswick.
Deposing an incumbent monarch from such a royal seat, James's
problematic devotion to Catholicism, and bizarrely, Louis XIV's
outright rejection of James's claim, meant that this was never going to happen
and indeed, the effort proved fruitless and the peace was signed, recognising
William III's claim to the throne. Contrary to what some people state, these
medals were not issued to the delegates from the countries signing the Peace
Treaty at Ryswick in the Netherlands in September
1697, they were simply a device to keep the cause alive, even though everyone
knew the cause was dead. £125
WSC-6732: 1697 Scottish Jacobite Medal A
mine exploding at the corner of a bastion – a mine may be said to explode with
a violence proportionate to the resistance by which it is compressed. MI 194(ii) / 502. Fortunes of Prince James, the Old Pretender,
copper medallion dated 1697: advocating James (III) to be the English and
Scottish monarch and for the incumbent, William III (William II of Scotland),
to be removed. These were produced by
the old James II of England (James VII of Scotland) - James had been forced to
abdicate the English throne in 1688 and live an exiled life in France from 1690
(any enemy of England was a friend of France!) - for distribution amongst the
partisans of the Stuarts, most of which seemed to be in London at the
time. Indeed, two hoards of these highly
symbolic medals from the small series were unearthed in Smithfield and Clement's Lane, Lombard Street in 1865 - this example is
almost certainly from one of those hoards due to the condition of the reverse
surface. Previously, the exiled James
had sought to have his cause (namely his son, James, be placed upon the English
and Scottish thrones and for William III be removed) and himself represented at
the Treaty of Ryswick. Deposing an incumbent monarch from such a
royal seat, James's problematic devotion to Catholicism, and bizarrely, Louis XIV's outright rejection of James's claim, meant that this
was never going to happen and indeed, the effort proved fruitless and the peace
was signed, recognising William III's claim to the
throne. Contrary to what some people
state, these medals were not issued to the delegates from the countries signing
the Peace Treaty at Ryswick in the Netherlands in
September 1697, they were simply a device to keep the cause alive, even though
everyone knew the cause was dead. £125
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-6634: 1745 Scottish Jacobite “Carlisle Taken” AE Medal. Medallic
Illustration 605/261. The Scottish
rebels, under Prince Charles, advanced as far south as Derby at which point
they considered the dangers which threatened them, and promptly retreated back
up the western side of England, back into Scotland. They left a garrison in Carlisle which, after
some show of resistance, was surrendered to the Duke of Cumberland (the son of
George II). It should be noted that
these medals were struck quickly after the event and were in no way up to the
quality of other medals issued from around this time. From a small collection. £195
WSC-6635: 1745 Scottish Jacobite “Carlisle Taken” AE Medal. Medallic
Illustration 605/262. The Scottish
rebels, under Prince Charles, advanced as far south as Derby at which point
they considered the dangers which threatened them, and promptly retreated back
up the western side of England, back into Scotland. They left a garrison in Carlisle which, after
some show of resistance, was surrendered to the Duke of Cumberland (the son of
George II). It should be noted that
these medals were struck quickly after the event and were in no way up to the
quality of other medals issued from around this time. From a small collection. £195
WSC-6664: 1745 Scottish Jacobite “Carlisle Taken” AE Medal. Most unusual English (ie
non Latin) legends. That, coupled with
the fact that this medal is completely unrecorded in Medallic
Illustration, and the indifferent quality of the dies, implies this was the
work of the enthusiastic Mr Pinchbeck, “a toyman” who
was renowned for issuing Jacobite medallic
material at the time. The Scottish rebels, under Prince Charles, advanced as
far south as Derby at which point they considered the dangers which threatened
them, and promptly retreated back up the western side of England, back into
Scotland. They left a garrison in
Carlisle which, after some show of resistance, was surrendered to the Duke of
Cumberland (the son of George II). From
a small collection. £155
WSC-6667: 1746 Scottish Jacobite “Battle of Culloden” AE Medal. Most unusual English (ie
non Latin) legends. That, coupled with
the fact that this medal is completely unrecorded in Medallic
Illustration, and the indifferent quality of the dies, implies this was the
work of the enthusiastic Mr Pinchbeck, “a toyman” who
was renowned for issuing Jacobite medallic
material at the time. The Scottish rebels, under Prince Charles, advanced as
far south as Derby at which point they considered the dangers which threatened
them, and promptly retreated back up the western side of England, back into
Scotland. The Battle of Culloden was the
final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745.
On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles
Edward Stuart were decisively defeated by Hanoverian forces commanded by
William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (the son of George II), near Inverness in
the Scottish Highlands. The battle
lasted only an hour – the surviving Jacobites being
hunted down and killed, earning Cumberland the title of “Billy the
Butcher”. Charles himself evaded capture
by disguising himself as an Irish maid.
He then went into exile to France for around 40 years. Culloden ended the claim of the descendants
of James II to the British throne.
Contemporaneously pierced, presumably for use as a necklace by a
supporter? From a small collection. £95
WSC-6637: 1746 Scottish Jacobite “Battle of Culloden – Rebellion Defeated” AE
Medal. Medallic
Illustration 616/286. An interesting
image of Highlander, hat off, kneeling suppliantly before the crowned lion
rampant of England. The Scottish rebels,
under Prince Charles, advanced as far south as Derby at which point they
considered the dangers which threatened them, and promptly retreated back up
the western side of England, back into Scotland. The Battle of Culloden was the final
confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16
April 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward
Stuart were decisively defeated by Hanoverian forces commanded by William
Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (the son of George II), near Inverness in the
Scottish Highlands. The battle lasted
only an hour – the surviving Jacobites being hunted
down and killed, earning Cumberland the title of “Billy the Butcher”. Charles himself evaded capture by disguising
himself as an Irish maid. He then went
into exile to France for around 40 years.
Culloden ended the claim of the descendants of James II to the British
throne. It should be noted that these medals
were struck quickly after the event and were in no way up to the quality of
other medals issued from around this time.
From a small collection. £225
WSC-6638: 1746 Scottish Jacobite “Battle of Culloden – Rebellion Defeated” AE
Medal. Medallic
Illustration 617/287. An interesting
image of the English lion overcoming a wolf – the animal most associated with
rebellion. The translated legend reads:
"Justice triumphant”. This medal is
listed as VERY RARE in M.I. although this particular example appears to have
been modified in order to fit into an oval surround? The Scottish rebels, under Prince Charles,
advanced as far south as Derby at which point they considered the dangers which
threatened them, and promptly retreated back up the western side of England,
back into Scotland. The Battle of
Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite
rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite forces
of Charles Edward Stuart were decisively defeated by Hanoverian forces
commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (the son of George II), near
Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The
battle lasted only an hour – the surviving Jacobites
being hunted down and killed, earning Cumberland the title of “Billy the
Butcher”. Charles himself evaded capture
by disguising himself as an Irish maid.
He then went into exile to France for around 40 years. Culloden ended the claim of the descendants
of James II to the British throne. It
should be noted that these medals were struck quickly after the event and were
in no way up to the quality of other medals issued from around this time. From a small collection. £125
WSC-6639: 1746 Scottish Jacobite “The Failure of Prince Charles” AE Medal. Medallic
Illustration 618/290. An interesting
image of a tiny Prince Charles attempting to snatch the crown from the top of a
column, being seized and pulled back by the larger Duke of Cumberland (the son
of George II). The translated legend
reads: "Come back again”. It should
be noted that these medals were struck quickly after the event and were in no
way up to the quality of other medals issued from around this time. From a small collection. £195
Hammered Silver Coinage
David 1st
WSC-6942: David 1st (in
David’s name) Scottish Hammered Silver Penny. Period A, 1136 to the beginning of the
1140’s. Cross Moline or Watford type,
bust right with sceptre, +DAVI(D R)E: and +DEORLING : ON : EDE. There is only one recorded example of this
moneyer for Edinburgh
on the Early Medieval Corpus database and it is this coin (EMC number :
1200.0965). This, together with the
documentation accompanying the coin (see here) suggests that
this moneyer is unique. An excellent
provenance: ex Beauvais Hoard (4th
November 1987), Glendinings soon after (lot 161) into
the famous Conte collection, Singer collection March 2002, CNG auction Jan 2012
(hammer price $7,000) into the Marshall Faintich
collection, James & Martha Robertson collection and then on to HistoryInCoins. Full
flan (20mm, 1.41g) with no cracks, chips or indeed any kind of damage or
repair. Virtually all the legend on both
sides legible, which in itself is rare.
As such, the coin has been independently graded VF. Spink 5003.
The last example of a David 1st Period A in David’s name that
I saw go through the auctions went for £10,000 and there was either no
provenance or virtually none. The very
first independent Scottish king in history to have issued coinage. Very rare.
£6,475
William 1st
Crescent & Pellet
coinage, circa 1174-95
WSC-6656: William 1st “The Lion” Medieval Hammered Silver Cut Halfpenny. The rarer, earlier Crescent & Pellet issue of 1174-95. Cross Pommee sceptre head - Spink 5025. Sold with an old Fred Rist (?) ticket. A rare coin. £75
Short Cross & Stars
“PHASE A” coinage, circa 1195-1205
WSC-6913: William (The Lion) 1st
Scottish Hammered Silver Voided Short Cross Penny. Phase A Penny, “Short Cross & Stars”
coinage, 1195-1205, RAVL at Roxburgh: +RAVL.ON.(RO)CE.
Spink 5027. A good, strong
portrait together with clear legends – a very nice example of this rarer,
earlier issue. £475
Short Cross & Stars
“PHASE B” coinage, circa 1205-1230
WSC-6099: William 1st “The Lion” Medieval Scottish Penny. Phase B type: 1205 – 1230. Voided short cross. The much rarer +hENRY LE RVS reverse reading (Spink 5031) which is from the Roxburgh mint. Crude (stylised), very good grade and rare. £395
Alexander
III
1st
Issue Pennies
WSC-6377: Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue “DVN” Mint Penny. Long cross & stars, 1250-80. WALTER.ON.DVN – one of the mysteries of Scottish coinage is that we still do not know the mint town represented by the signature DVN. Dunbar, Dunfermline, Dundee, even Dumbarton have all been muted as the possible location. Type III, Spink 5043. The new Spink book (2015 so not that new anymore) has this coin at £450. This one for sale at (E) £395
WSC-5982: Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue BERWICK Mint Penny. Long cross & stars, 1250-80. RO BER TON BE – Robert of Berwick. Outstanding portrait piece. Type III, SCBI 35, 93/A, Spink 5043 (E). £345
WSC-6793: Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue STIRLING Mint Penny. Long cross & stars, 1250-80. hO(N) RI. ON^S TR – Henri of Stirling. Type III, SCBI 35, 137/A, Spink 5043. Old collection piece. A rare Scottish mint. £395
WSC-6794: Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue FORFAR Mint Penny. Long cross & stars, 1250-80. SIM ON^D O(N F) O^R – Simond of Forfar. Type III, SCBI 35, 115/A, Spink 5043 (£225 / £675 in a very outdated edition). Old collection piece. A rare Scottish mint. £595
WSC-6935: Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue FORFAR Mint Penny. Long cross & stars, 1250-80. WILAM ON FOR - Rare Forfar mint. Type III, Spink 5043 (£225 / £675 in a very outdated edition). A rare Scottish mint at an affordable price. £395
WSC-6795: Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue INVERNESS Mint Penny. Long cross & stars, 1250-80. IEFR (A) IO^N I^N(V) – Gefrai of Inverness. Type III, SCBI 35, 123/A, Spink 5043. Old collection piece. A good quality repair on what is an intriguing coin – there appears to be only a single letter in the second quadrant on the reverse. A rare Scottish mint. Cheap. £345
WSC-6830: Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue St Andrew’s Mint Cut Halfpenny. Long cross & stars, 1250-80. TO(MAS.ON.)AN – Tomas of St Andrew’s. Type IV, Spink 5044. One of the rarest of the Scottish mints. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has only a single example (a poor coin) whilst the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow holds no examples. The National Museum (Edinburgh) holds two. There were only two dies in use - one with AN the other as ANDER as the mint signatures. This is a very rare coin. £249
WSC-6889: Alexander III Scottish
Medieval Hammered Silver Cut Halfpenny.
First coinage, 1250-80. The rare Inverness mint -
GEF(RAI ON INVERO)N. Type III, Spink
5043. A single type / single moneyer
issue from this rare Scottish mint – only Montrose and Wilanerter
are rarer. The coin is a cut half (current thinking is that cut half coins were
officially cut at the mint and not by traders) and benefits from most of the
king’s bust being there. £135
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 very rare 20 point reverse. £55
WSC-6769: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Second
coinage, 1280-86. Perth mint
town. Class E, Spink 5056. £135
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-6882: Alexander III Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Second
coinage, 1280-86. Roxburgh mint
town. Spink 5054. From an old collection – see original ticket here. £98
2nd
Coinage Half Pennies
John Baliol
Pennies
WSC-5369: John Baliol
Scottish Hammered Silver Penny. The
first issue, “rough” coinage of 1292 – 1296.
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, Edinburgh,
Perth, Roxburgh and Stirling all fell to the English (E). £325
WSC-5583: John Baliol
Scottish Hammered Silver Penny.
Second issue, “smooth” coinage of 1292 – 1296. CIVITAS
SANDREE – the much rarer St
Andrew’s mint. 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, Edinburgh,
Perth, Roxburgh and Stirling all fell to the English (E). £495
Robert “The Bruce” 1st
WSC-6945: Robert “The Bruce” 1st
Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.
Spink 5076. Robert, a descendant
of David 1st, was crowned in Scone in 1306 and so he reigned over a
Scotland that had no Edinburgh until 1313.
Bannockburn followed soon after, leading to the gradual repossession of
the kingdom, including Berwick. It is
interesting to note that David II followed Robert Bruce (David married the
sister of Edward III in an obvious attempt to cease hostilities) in 1329 and
Alexander III’s second coinage ended 1286. Both those issues were good quality with many
excellent examples being extant today.
In between we had Margaret with no coinage and the stop-gap John Baliol followed by Robert Bruce. Virtually all the coins in that period were
poor, which is all the stranger when you bear in mind Alexander III’s second coinage through to David II, including John Baliol and Robert Bruce, used virtually identical
dies. Happily, this coin of Robert Bruce
is much above average. £1,850 RESERVED (E.M.10-9-20)
David II
WSC-6460: David II Medieval Scottish Hammered Silver Penny. Second coinage, 1351-57. VILLA ABERDON – the very rare Aberdeen provincial mint. Spink 5121 where the 2015 price guide lists this coin at £900. I am unaware of any Aberdeen pennies coming up for sale in recent or even non recent times. A great rarity (E). £695
WSC-6941: David II Medieval Scottish Hammered Silver Penny. Second coinage, 1351-57. REX SCOTORVM, which is likely to have been the Edinburgh mint. Spink 5088. A high grade, attractive example of a coin that is usually seen worn and / or damaged. Robert Bruce (immediately prior to David II) and John Baliol pennies also suffer from this phenomenon, whereas the slightly earlier Alexander III second coinage pennies are usually good. £275 RESERVED (C.H.14-9-20)
WSC-6753: David II Medieval Scottish Hammered Silver Groat. Second coinage, 1351-57. VILLA EDINBVRGH – Edinburgh mint. A type B coin, slightly double struck on the reverse, 3.54g. Spink 5097. Very nice grade for issue. Excellent provenance: ex Dr William Triest collection, ex David Stuart collection – sold with their original tickets. Also comes with an old auction listing. £325
WSC-6773: David II Medieval Scottish Hammered Silver Groat. Third (Light) coinage, 1367-71 VILLA EDINBVRGH – Edinburgh mint. Spink 5125 – star on the base of the sceptre coupled with trefoils within the tressure. £275
Robert II
WSC-6758: Robert II Scottish Hammered Silver Groat. 1371-90, Edinburgh mint, second issue, 1357-67. Interesting fact: Robert II’s grandfather was Robert the Bruce. Spink 5131. £225
WSC-6834: Robert II Scottish Hammered Silver Groat. 1371-90, Perth mint. Spink 5136. VILLA DE PERTh. Star at the base of the sceptre. Interesting fact: Robert II’s grandfather was Robert the Bruce. An appealing coin from a rarer mint town. £275
WSC-5623: Robert II Scottish Hammered Silver HALF Groat. 1371-90, Perth mint. Spink 5143. Interesting fact: Robert II’s grandfather was Robert the Bruce. Uncommon (E). £225
WSC-6093: Robert II Scottish Hammered Silver Penny. 1371-90, Perth mint. Interesting fact: Robert II’s grandfather was Robert the Bruce. Spink 5146 – rarer variety (E). £129
WSC-6776: Robert II Scottish Hammered Silver Penny. 1371-90, Edinburgh mint, second issue, 1357-67. Interesting fact: Robert II’s grandfather was Robert the Bruce. Spink 5131. £255
WSC-6923: Robert II Medieval Scottish
Hammered Silver Halfpenny. 1371-90, Edinburgh mint. Spink 5152.
A rare coin (see image annotation) – the only example I’ve ever
had. £225
Robert III
WSC-6801: Robert III Scottish Hammered Silver Groat. Heavy coinage issue of 1390 – 1403. First issue with tall, rough facing bust and three pellets at the cusps. Spink 5165. Edinburgh mint. £275
WSC-6726: Exceptionally Rare Robert III Scottish Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Second issue, very rare Perth mint, Spink 5188. +ROBERTVS DEI REX / +VILLA DE PERTH. 0.45 grams / 6.9 grains. A high grade example of this very rare issue with unusually full legends. Atypical obverse reading which I am unable to find elsewhere - it's usually ROBERTVS REX SCOT or rarely ROBERTVS DEIG. Possibly a mule of Spink 5188 and 5188A as the obverse of 1558A is similar to this coin (see Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles, 35, Scottish Coins). Perth examples rarely come up for sale on the open market. The ticket accompanying this coin states “Finest known?”. A very rare coin in excellent grade. £875
WSC-6886: Robert III Medieval Scottish Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Edinburgh mint, 1390 – 1406 (first issue). A rare coin. £175 / £575 in a now very outdated book. £195
James IV
WSC-6930: James IV Hammered Billon Silver Plack. One of the rarer monarchs for this denomination. Sold with old tickets. Spink 5349. £155
James V
WSC-6486: James V Hammered Billon Silver Plack. First coinage, 1513-36. Sold with an old ticket. Spink 5381. (E) £135
WSC-6780: James V Hammered Silver
Third Groat. Second coinage, 1526 –
1539,
WSC-6799: James V Scottish Stuart
Hammered Billon Silver Bawbee. Third coinage, 1538 – 1542. Annulet over the obverse 1 so Spink
5384. 1.89 grams, 23mm. Rarer monarch. £235
Mary
WSC-6815: Mary “Queen of Scots”
Hammered (Billon) Silver Bawbee. First period, before her first marriage,
1542-58. Spink 5433 – the rarer voided
cross reverse. £169
WSC-6948: 1553 Mary “Queen of Scots”
Hammered Silver **TYPE 1** Testoon.
A single year issue, circulating at four shillings with 0.916 fineness
of silver. The Type II successor of 1555
had, bizarrely, only 0.725 fineness of silver and yet circulated at five
shillings. Spink 5401. This an excessively rare coin with little
more than a handful known. It is the
rarest Scottish Testoon, bar none, and if you take out the 1553 type 1 Half
Testoon (a pattern so not strictly currency) and 1565 Ryal (unique?), it is the
rarest of all Scottish silver coins. The
portrait of young Mary is outstanding, inspired from a painting by the French
artist Francois Clouet who, perhaps progressively for
the time (although perhaps not so surprising bearing in mind their
nationality), was also known as Janet.
It is interesting to note that this Type 1 Testoon was never
counterstamped under James VI even though all the others were, including the portrait
left Testoons. Listed at £4,500 and
£12,500 in the now very out of date Spink 2015 Scottish & Irish price guide
and virtually guaranteed to be listed at a fair bit more when the 2020/2021
book comes out. This is a coin that
seldom comes up for sale on the open market. 
£3,895
James
VI
WSC-6885: 1575 Scottish James VI Hammered Silver Half Merk or Noble. Second coinage, rare date. Better grade with an extremely clear date. Spink 5478. £349
WSC-6809: 1599 James VI Hammered Silver Scottish Ten Shillings. Seventh issue, Spink 5493. Nice grade and a desirable date. £385
WSC-6109: Scottish James VI Hammered
Silver 30 Shillings. Initial mark
Thistle. The rarer Type II variety -
Spink 5504 (E). £245
Charles 1st
Silver
WSC-6946: Scottish
Charles 1st UNRECORDED Hammered Silver 40 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-5367: Scotland Charles 1st Hammered Silver 20d. Third coinage, 1637 – 42. Briot’s machine made issue (E). £75
WSC-6687: Scottish Charles 1st Hammered Silver 2 Shillings. Fourth coinage of 1642. Spink 5593. Rare. £155
WSC-6623: Scottish Charles 1st Hammered Silver 3 Shillings. Fourth coinage of 1642. Spink 5592. Rare. £225
WSC-6015: Scottish Charles 1st Hammered Silver 12 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 (E). £285
Copper
WSC-6565: Scottish Charles 1st High Grade Copper Turner. Earl of Stirling coinage, 1632-39. Spink 5601. The rarer type 4a with im Saltire both sides. Probably a contemporary counterfeit although Spink suggest these are mainly im Lis and Lion. Choice (E). £98
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
WSC-6877: Scottish Charles 1st Copper Turner. Earl of Stirling coinage, 1632-39. Spink 5599e. Part of a single deceased collection put together from the 1960's onwards with this ticket where this coin cost ten shillings way back when. Type 2e with im stop & saltire. A nice grade coin. £55
WSC-6879: 1692 William & Mary Scottish Charles 1st Copper Turner or Bodle. Spink 5674. Part of a single deceased collection put together from the 1960's onwards with this ticket. A superb grade example for issue, being arguably as good as the Spink plate coin, presumably the best example they could lay their hands on. £185
Milled Coinage
Charles
II
Silver
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-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 (E). £195
WSC-6697: 1672 Charles II Scottish Silver HALF Merk. First coinage. Spink 5614. Above average for issue. £125
WSC-6096: 1677 Charles II Scottish Silver 1/16th Dollar. Second coinage and interestingly, the only denomination in the series to have a reverse Saltire Cross. High grade for issue. Spink 5624 (E). £295
WSC-5838: 1682 over 1680 Scottish Charles II Silver ¼ Dollar. Second coinage, good grade for issue (E). £195
Copper
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
William II
WSC-6698: 1695 Scottish William II
Copper BAWBEE. Spink 5690 where it’s
given very high values in the 2015 price guide.
£119
WSC-6717: 1695 Scottish William II Silver 40 Shillings. A large Scottish silver coin in remarkably good grade for the issue. Spink 5679. Ex Spink, ex Coincraft (their ticket here). Rare in this grade. £445
WSC-6626: 1697 Scottish William II Silver 40 Shillings. A large Scottish silver coin in remarkably good grade for the issue. Spink 5682 (Spink 2015: £675, £2,250). Rare in this grade. £645
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 now very much out date Spink 2015 price guide (there is a new revised
edition coming out later this year with I’m sure more realistic, up to date
pricing) – there are certainly EF areas to this coin. A very rare coin in this grade. £395
James Francis Edward Stuart – The Old Pretender
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
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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-4728: 1755 Scottish Communion Church Token. A very early date indeed. Cadder, Lanarkshire. Minister Alexander Dun. Burzinski 1190. 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
H108: 1772 Scottish Communion Token - Larbert, Stirlingshire - Burzinski 2021. 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
H169: 1840 Scottish Communion Token - Glasgow, Lanarkshire - Burzinski 4818 VAR. 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
