James II came to the throne at age six following his father's murder at Perth in 1437, with the kingdom effectively administered by a succession of competing noble factions through his minority. Scottish coinage of this period reflects that instability — the 3rd Fleur-de-lis Issue represents one of several adjustments to the groat standard as the crown struggled to maintain monetary credibility against persistent debasement pressures from continental trade partners.
Spink 5226 is among the scarcer sub-types of the James II first coinage sequence. The fleur-de-lis privy mark differentiations were introduced to track successive emissions, a practice that has since become the primary tool for attributing these issues to specific phases of the reign.
James II came to the throne at age six following his father's murder at Perth in 1437, with the kingdom effectively administered by a succession of competing noble factions through his minority. Scottish coinage of this period reflects that instability — the 3rd Fleur-de-lis Issue represents one of several adjustments to the groat standard as the crown struggled to maintain monetary credibility against persistent debasement pressures from continental trade partners.
Spink 5226 is among the scarcer sub-types of the James II first coinage sequence. The fleur-de-lis privy mark differentiations were introduced to track successive emissions, a practice that has since become the primary tool for attributing these issues to specific phases of the reign.