Scotland (1609-25) double crown Fr-49

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Stack's Bowers 2021 ANA sale, lot 41525
photo courtesy Stack's Bowers LLC

This specimen was lot 41525 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $10,800. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Rare James IV Double Crown, The Lucien LaRiviere Specimen, SCOTLAND. Double Crown (Half Unite), ND (1609-25). Edinburgh mint; mm: thistle. James VI. NGC AU-58. Tenth Coinage, After Accession to the English Throne. Supremely attractive with tangerine patina near the borders and pale yellow hues across the high points. Perfectly centered with intact legends and considerable beading at the edges. The surfaces exhibit tremendous luster and only the faintest trace of friction, rendering this piece very close to Mint State in many respects. The obverse shows a dramatic series of multiple strikes, creating an echo of James VI's beard into the right field. A truly exceptional example of this VERY RARE issue.

The double crown, or half unite, was confined to the second chapter of James VI's rule, once he had accessioned to the English throne in 1603. This type from the tenth coinage was struck beginning in 1609 and lasted until his death in 1625. It remains an incredibly elusive issue with only three distinct examples sold in the past 15 years. Missing from the comprehensive Coats Collection, this type was called a "rare coin" by Burns but it was not assigned a variety number. The present example is arguably the most desirable of survivors, with superior preservation and a pedigree to the LaRiviere cabinet. From the Loch Ness Collection. Ex: Lucien LaRiviere Collection (Spink - 4/2006) Lot # 159. Ex: Bt. Baldwin (10/1984). Ex: Spink (4/1982) Lot # 186."

This series of gold coins, issued after James was made king of England, comprised a unit (Fr-48), double crown (Fr-49, shown here), Britain crown (Fr-50), 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: 4.50 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 4.98 g.

Catalog reference: KM 27.1, S-5466; Fr-49; Burns-pg. 434.

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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