Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/2 Groat - James III Light Issue of c.1467
| Issuer | Scotland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1467 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A long voided cross pattée extending to the beaded inner circle divides the reverse into four quarters, with trefoils composed of three pellets alternating with six-pointed mullets placed in the respective quarters. The overall design follows the standard Scottish groat reverse layout of the fifteenth century, with the quatrefoil arrangement providing both decorative and symbolic royal significance. A beaded inner circle contains the central design, while the outer legend is separated by a further beaded border. The mint name appears within the circular legend, identifying Edinburgh as the place of striking. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
James III's Light coinage of the late 1460s was a deliberate debasement measure, reducing the weight of Scottish silver issues to address chronic bullion shortages and the persistent drain of full-weight coin across the border into England. The crown's manipulation of the currency throughout James's reign was contentious enough that it contributed to the broader political tensions between the king and his nobility — tensions that would never fully resolve.
Spink 5268 is among the scarcer denominations of this issue. Edinburgh was the sole mint operating by this point, having absorbed production previously shared with other Scottish towns.