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  9. Winning Losing Won Lost Watching Available in aftersale  

    First Renaissance style portrait

    A44, Lot 215:

    SCOTLAND. James III. 1460-1488. AR base silver groat, issue of 1471-1483 (.770). 1.97 gm. 22 mm. First Renaissance style portrait. Edinburgh mint. His realistic portrait, half right; tressure of eight arcs, trefoils on cusps; +IΛCOBVS : REX : DEI : SCOTORVM (the SCOTORV legend is listed in Burns as the eight arc variety) / Long cross with thistles opposing in two quarters and small mullets opposing in the other two (mullet in upper right quadrant variety; +VIL LAxE DINB VRGh. S. 5270. Burns II: p. 116:12/13; pl. xliv:582-3. Very Fine; attractive example with a clear portrait. Very rare, particularly in appealing condition.

    The Leland Scott Collection. With early hand-written tag

    Also ex Spink with older tag (£650).

     

    The first “real person” portrait on a British coin

    (As featured in Coin World Magazine, March 2025)

    In 1471 the young Scottish king, James III, had his youthful 30 year old image featured on the obverse of a base silver groat. This was the first Renaissance style portrait of a British king shown as he actually looked, and it took until the Fifth Coinage of Henry VII, very early in the 1500’s, for his realistic profile to appear on English coinage. British coins had long featured a front-facing two-dimensional image that made no effort at visually discriminating the kings. This change to an actual image was an important mark of England’s entry into the Renaissance.

    The Renaissance (French “rebirth”) replaced the medieval world view, and was a time of rediscovering the classical learning of the ancient world. The exact time when it began is a source of scholarly debate but in the 14th century literature like the Canterbury Tales, the Decameron, and Dante’s Inferno were reflecting this humanism, and drawing and painting eventually followed.

    The reverse of this James III groat began the use of thistle heads on Scottish coinage. James III is generally considered the founder of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, a Scottish Order of Chivalry that is still functioning. In modern times, the current king, Charles III, is reported to have awarded it five times so far in his reign.
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  18. Winning Losing Won Lost Watching Available in aftersale  
    Extremely rare irregular striking
    A40, Lot 185:

    SCOTLAND. Mary Stuart. 1542-1567. AR ryal. 28.93 gm. 44 mm. Rare irregular striking with Henry's name before Mary's (see references noted below) (446.5 grains, near appropriate weight for the ryal issue). 1566. Crowned shield, thistle each side; HENRIC & MARIA DEI GRA R & R SCOTORV around / A tortoise climbing a palm tree; DAT GLORIA VIRES on a scroll (A genuine die used). S. 5425 type. SCBI 58, Edinburgh: 1189 (same dies). Good Very Fine; beautiful old collection toning; well struck on a full round flan. Three known. We handled another in 2015 (Auction 35, realized $7500). The third piece, ex Lockett, is in The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. All are from the same dies, the reverse being a somewhat worn genuine die that was used to strike regular issues.

    The young Henry Darnley had journeyed to Scotland to press his claim to the English throne, Mary was in line in front of him and when they married he pressed to be proclaimed king, co-equal with Mary. Coinage would express this. When Mary and Francis were married Francis's name appeared first on the coin (as did Philip's name when he and Mary Tudor married), but both Francis and Philip were kings in their own right. The callow Henry was not, but he did keep trying and he had friends who helped. The exact plan behind this piece is uncertain, but the reverse die is a genuine mint die and the weight is correct.

    Holmes, N. (Scottish Coins in the National Musems of Scotland, Edinburgh, Part I. SCBI 58: 1189, 429) suggests "more likely an irregular striking." Rampling & Murray, BNJ 59 (1989), p. 213. "The Coinage of the Marians in Edinburgh Castle in 1572—an Addendum" discusses the issue and notes the Lockett example. We have published a more detailed discussion on our website here. (AD)

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