Great Britain (1607-09) thistle crown Fr-238
This specimen was lot 40360 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Oklahoma City, OK, August 2025), where it sold for $2,100. The catalog description[1] noted, "GREAT BRITAIN. Thistle Crown (4 Shillings), ND (1607-09). London Mint; mm: Coronet. James I. PCGS AU-58. Second coinage. Obverse: Crowned thistle; I-R across field; Reverse: Crowned rose; I-R across field. Essentially Mint in quality, this delightful Thistle Crown features bright golden luster and a commendable strike. A satisfyingly fresh representative of this British hammered issue. From the Lucius S. Ruder Collection. With old collector's ticket from coin dealer O. B. Windau." With the accession of James I we drop the "England" as the country name and adopt the current "Great Britain." The thistle crown was only four shillings as opposed to the usual five. It was not issued again after this reign.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.25 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 2.00 g.
Catalog reference: S-2627; Fr-238; N-2096; KM-37.
- 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.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2025 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Richard August Collection and the Richard Margolis Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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