Scotland 1601 1/2 sword and sceptre Fr-47

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Stack's Bowers 2021 ANA sale, lot 41523
photo courtesy Stack's Bowers LLC

This specimen was lot 41523 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $13,200. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Exceptional Choice Mint State 1601 1/2 Sword and Sceptre, SCOTLAND. 1/2 Sword and Sceptre (3 Pound Piece), 1601. Edinburgh Mint. James VI. NGC MS-63. Eighth Coinage, Before Accession to the English Throne. An incredible Mint State survivor from the turn of the 17th century. Vibrant yellow-gold tone is accented by warmer honey color near the borders. Struck from rusted dies with a matte-like texture on the obverse and much of IACOBVS pushed off the edge. The reverse is ideally centered with full legends and satiny luster in the fields. Scrutiny reveals just a microscopic mark to the right of the obverse crown and a few faint hairlines in the reverse fields. A superior coalescence of execution and preservation.

The 1601 half sword and sceptre is scarce in all grades and the vast majority or survivors exhibit considerable handling and impairment. The LaRiviere specimen was graded Very Fine with light creases and even the Eliasberg coin was "merely" a NGC VF-35. At the Choice Mint State level, this specimen remains largely unchallenged by any of those sold in the past decade. It represents our first offering of the issue since 2014 and is sure to command significant attention among specialists. From the Loch Ness Collection."

The coinage of Scotland prior to unification with England is confusing. Bullion was scarce, so issues were small and sporadic. Pence and shillings were used but were not worth their English equivalents. Like most gold coins of Scotland, the half sword and sceptre is rare.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: gold.

Catalog reference: S-5462; Fr-47; Burns-2 (fig. 957).

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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