Scotland (1609-25) crown Fr-50

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Stack's Bowers 2021 ANA sale, lot 41526
photo courtesy Stack's Bowers LLC

This specimen was lot 41526 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $3,840. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Exceptional James VI Britain Crown, The Spink Plate Coin (2020), Ex Lucien LaRiviere Collection, SCOTLAND. Britain Crown, ND (1609-25). Edinburgh Mint; mm: thistle. James VI. NGC AU-55. Tenth Coinage, After Accession to the English Throne. Well centered on an irregular flan with a scalloped appearance at the left obverse edge. The complexion is bright and yellow-gold with scattered traces of pinkish patina. Incredibly lustrous at the borders and in the protected areas, with only trivial handling across the high points. A VERY RARE issue with strong eye appeal and sharp definition.

Struck from 1609 through 1625, these issues of the tenth coinage represent an attempt to bridge the economic systems of Scotland and England once James VI became the simultaneous ruler of both. Offering similar rarity as the larger double crown, the Britain crowns of James VI are very elusive with only four specimens sold since 2003 and most well-worn. This piece clearly ranks at the top of this small population and was selected as the plate coin for the issue in the Spink reference (4th ed., 2020). It also features a desirable provenance to the collection of Lucien LaReviere, in itself a hallmark for superior quality. From the Loch Ness Collection. Ex: Lucien LaRiviere Collection (Spink - 4/2006) Lot # 160. Ex: Bt. Baldwin (10/1984)."

This series of gold coins, issued after James was made king of England, comprised a unit (Fr-48), double crown (Fr-49), Britain crown (Fr-50, shown here), half crown (Fr-51) and a thistle crown (Fr-52). Altho none are common, they appear more frequently than gold coins of the sixteenth century, suggesting that the restoration of peace brought gold out of hiding.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 2.25 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 2.47 g.

Catalog reference: KM 24, S-5468; Fr-50; Burns-5 (fig. 991).

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.
  • Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
  • 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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