1 Groat - James IV Heavy Coinage, Type IIb

James IV's heavy coinage groats were struck at Edinburgh under a series of monetary reforms intended to stabilize Scottish silver after decades of debasement under his father James III. The "heavy" designation refers to a deliberately increased weight standard — a policy decision, not a casual upgrade. Type IIb sits within the later phase of this programme, distinguished from Type IIa by die characteristics documented by Spink and elaborated in the work of Stewart and others on Scottish medieval coinage.

James IV was among the most monetarily active Scottish kings of the period, and his coinage reforms coincided with sustained diplomatic engagement with England and France that required Scotland to project financial credibility.