Scotland (1542-58) abbey crown Fr-28

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Stack's Bowers 2021 ANA sale, lot 41505
photo courtesy Stack's Bowers LLC

This specimen was lot 41505 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $19,200. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Exceptional First Period Abbey Crown, The Lockett-LaRiviere Specimen, Plated in Spink. SCOTLAND. Abbey Crown (Ecu or 20 Shillings), ND (1542-1558). Edinburgh; mm: star/crown. Mary. NGC AU-55. First Period, Before Marriage. Visually stunning with copious luster and intricate detail to all elements. The warm yellow-gold tone boasts colorful iridescence of crimson and violet. Nicely centered with nearly intact legends and a rounded planchet irregularity at 2 o'clock. A fantastic showcase of condition and RARITY.

Burns points out that the Abbey crowns, or ecus, were undoubtedly the earliest gold coins struck by Mary, representing a virtual continuation of the crowns issued by her father, James V. He also notes similarities to the rare bonnet pieces issued for 1539 and 1540. While first issued at 20 shillings in 1542, they were quickly raised to 22 shillings 10 pence in 1543. Survivors of this coinage remain very rare, with only about a half-dozen specimens sold at auction in the past 15 years. Plated in Spink, it is an irresistible offering for advanced collectors. From the Loch Ness Collection. Ex: Lucien LaRiviere Collection (Spink - 4/2006) Lot # 96. Ex: Sotheby's (5/1994) Lot # 117. Ex: Lockett Collection (Glendining - 6/1957) Lot # 304. The Spink plate coin (4th ed., 2020)."

This coin had a face value of twenty shillings but any gold coin would have had enormous buying power in sixteenth century Scotland.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: gold, this specimen 3.37 g.

Catalog reference: S-5390; Fr-28; Burns-3 (fig. 808 var.).

Source:

  • Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
  • Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Man & Lundy), Pre-Decimal Issues, 2nd edition, London: Spink & Son, 2003.
  • Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of the Coins of Scotland, Ireland, Channel Islands & Isle of Man, London: Coincraft, 1999.
  • [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.

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