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1 Bawbee - Mary I 1st Period
| Issuer | Edinburgh Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1543-1554 |
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| Currency | Pound Scots (1136-1707) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field features a saltire cross — the Cross of Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland — with a small fleur-de-lis or cinquefoil ornament placed in each of the four angles formed by the arms of the cross. The design is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, beyond which the circumferential Latin legend OPPIDVM · EDINBVRGI proclaims the issuing town of Edinburgh. The overall execution is typical of hammered billon struck at the Edinburgh Mint during the first period of Mary I's reign, exhibiting characteristic irregularities in strike and flan shape. The reverse design reflects the civic pride and municipal authority of Edinburgh as the principal mint town of the Scottish crown. |
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| Reverse lettering | OPPIDVM · EDINBVRGI (Translation: Town of Edinburgh) |
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| Additional information |
The bawbee was introduced under James V in 1538 as Scotland's first billon coinage, a direct response to the chronic shortage of small denomination currency that had plagued everyday commerce for decades. Mary's minority government, administered through regents following her father's death at Flodden's shadow — actually Solway Moss in 1542 — continued the denomination without interruption, making these pieces the workhorse of Scottish petty transactions through one of the kingdom's most politically turbulent stretches.
Sp#5432 falls within the First Period issues struck before Mary's marriage to Francis of France altered the coinage program entirely.