James VI was an infant king when this coin was struck — he had been crowned at Stirling in 1567 at thirteen months old, following his mother Mary Queen of Scots' forced abdication. The regency government that administered Scotland in his name oversaw a monetary system still recovering from decades of debasement under his predecessors. The second coinage attempted modest stabilization of the silver fineness, though Scotland's currency would remain structurally weaker than English sterling throughout the regency period.
Spink 5479 is among the more elusive denominations of the reign, as quarter merks circulated hard and few survived in collectible condition.
James VI was an infant king when this coin was struck — he had been crowned at Stirling in 1567 at thirteen months old, following his mother Mary Queen of Scots' forced abdication. The regency government that administered Scotland in his name oversaw a monetary system still recovering from decades of debasement under his predecessors. The second coinage attempted modest stabilization of the silver fineness, though Scotland's currency would remain structurally weaker than English sterling throughout the regency period.
Spink 5479 is among the more elusive denominations of the reign, as quarter merks circulated hard and few survived in collectible condition.