Scotland (1625-36) unite Fr-53
This specimen was lot 41530 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $19,800. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Superb First Coinage Charles I Unit, Ex Murray and LaRiviere Collection, SCOTLAND. Unit, ND (1625-1636). Edinburgh Mint; mm: thistle. Charles I. NGC AU-55. First Coinage. A visually spectacular example with warm honey-gold tone and brighter yellow highlights. Very lustrous and entirely without significant abrasions. The reverse show a chorus of multiple strikes with broadly doubled legends at the right border. Stuck on a somewhat irregular flan with ragged areas at the right obverse and a minor edge chip at 3 o'clock. Very attractive and RARE at this level of preservation, appearing very close to Mint State upon first glance.
Charles I was, despite being primarily remembered as an English king, born a Scot. He was the second eldest son of James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark, born at Fife in 1600. Upon the death of his brother Henry in 1612, he became the heir to the throne. While he inherited the throne in 1625 upon the death of his father, Charles I did not receive his Scottish coronation until 1633. This type, struck during the first coinage from 1625 through 1635, was issued until Frenchman Nicholas Briot was appointed as master of the Scottish mint in the end of 1834. Gold Units of this period are very scarce and are seldom seen in such high grades as the present piece. With pedigree to the Murray and LaRiviere collections, this is certainly among the most desirable survivors. From the Loch Ness Collection. Ex: Lucien LaRiviere Collection (Spink - 4/2006) Lot # 209. Ex: J.K.R. Murray Collection (Spink - 4/1987) lot # 31."
The unite was so called because it was struck in both England and Scotland. Introduced during the reign of James I (VI), it was also struck during the reign of Charles I, shown here.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 9 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM 56, S-5527; Fr-53; Burns-1 (fig. 1030).
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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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