1 Crown - James V 2nd Coinage, Type II

James V's second coinage emerged from a period of profound instability in Scottish royal finance, with the crown heavily dependent on ecclesiastical taxation and French alliance subsidies following the catastrophe at Flodden in 1513. The Type II designation within this coinage reflects a die modification whose precise trigger — whether a change in the assay standard, a shift in gold supply, or a deliberate redenomination — remains debated among specialists.

Scottish gold of this period is genuinely scarce in any condition. Surviving examples turn up almost exclusively from hoards rather than casual finds, suggesting limited day-to-day circulation even at issue.