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 | Royal Mint of Scotland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1467 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound Scots (1136-1707) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| 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 divides the reverse into four quadrants, each filled with a floriated or trillium-type ornament composed of pellets and trefoil motifs, consistent with Scottish half-groat design of the Light coinage period. The cross extends to the inner beaded circle, with no central boss or pellet visible. The peripheral legend, reading DNS PTECT MS & LBERA VILLA : BERWICI, identifies the mint as Berwick and invokes divine protection, translating as 'God is my Defender and my Redeemer, Town of Berwick.' The flan is irregular and the strike uneven, as is typical of hammered coinage of this era. The overall design follows the standard formulaic reverse layout established for Scottish groats and half-groats of the fifteenth century. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Berwick Mint |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
James III's Light coinage of c.1467 reduced the silver content and weight of Scottish denominational coinage as part of a deliberate debasement policy — a move that generated significant friction with the Scottish Parliament, which repeatedly attempted to legislate against currency manipulation by the crown. The half groat sits within this contested monetary moment, when the king's control over the mint was itself a political instrument.
Spink 5269 is among the scarcer types of the series. Edinburgh was the dominant mint by this period, Aberdeen and Berwick having effectively ceased regular production.