Scotland 1558 1/2 testoon

Stack's Bowers 2021 ANA sale, lot 41510

photo courtesy Stack's Bowers LLC

This specimen was lot 41510 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $1,560. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"SCOTLAND. 1/2 Testoon, 1558. Edinburgh Mint. Mary. NGC EF Details--Environmental Damage. First Period, Before Marriage, Type III. Sharply struck with the date pushed over the edge on the obverse. The surfaces display dark old tone with scattered roughness under a glass. Overall pleasing for the type. From the Loch Ness Collection. Ex: Dr. James Davidson Collection, Part II (Dix Noonan Webb - 12/2003) Lot # 451."

The testoons of 1558 come with Mary's monogram (S-5406) or with her monogram joined with her teenage husband Francis (S-5416). We don't know if that was done for the half testoons.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver, this specimen 2.75 g.

Catalog reference: S-5413; Burns-13 (fig. 802).

Source:

• 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.

Link to:

• 1555 gold half ryal
• 1555 gold ryal = 60 shillings
• 1556 testoon
• 1557 plack (fourpence)
• 1557 testoon
• 1558 1½ pence (lion)
• Scotland 1558 testoon S-5406 Mary only
• Scotland 1558 testoon S-5416 Francis and Mary
• Scotland 1558 60 shilling Fr-35
• 1559 12 pence (nonsunt)
• Scotland 1566 2/3 ryal with counterstamp
• Coins and currency dated 1558