Scotland 1557 testoon
The first specimen was lot 25470 in Heritage sale 3024 (Chicago, April 2013), where it sold for $1,880. The catalog description[1] noted, "Mary Testoon 1557, 1st Period of 1542-58, Before Marriage, no annulets, AU50 NGC, lovely old-cabinet gray patina, slight double striking, the large cross potent of the reverse truly bold, the legends easily readable. The charming religious sentiment, in Latin, 'IN VIRTUTE TUA LIBERA ME' ('In Thy Strength Deliver Me'), forms the legend of the reverse; it is rendered variously throughout the silver coinage, here showing the 'N' recut upside down under the normal form, and the 'A' left off 'LIBERA'. The date 1557 appears on each side. A choice example in all respects." The second specimen was lot 41549 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $1,680. The catalog description[2] noted, "SCOTLAND. Testoon, 1557. Edinburgh Mint. Mary. PCGS EF-45 Gold Shield. Stunningly preserved, this coveted Testoon type displays rich, multihued tone in fields with sharply detailed highpoints that are silvery colored in presentation, resulting in a quasi-cameo appearance on both sides."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.11 g, 0.917 fine silver.
Catalog reference: the first specimen: S-5405; the second specimen S-5404; Burns-17 (fig. 792).
- 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.
- 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.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3024, featuring the Kairos and Elizabeth McPhall Charters Collections, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.
- [2]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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