Robert II, the first Stewart king, inherited a Scottish monetary system badly disrupted by decades of English occupation and ransom payments for David II — the 100,000 merk ransom agreed at Berwick in 1357 had drained silver reserves for years before Robert even took the throne. His groat issues consequently show considerable variation in silver fineness across the reign, a reflection of intermittent bullion shortages rather than any deliberate debasement policy.
Spink 5135 places this within the Edinburgh mint output, where dies were cut with enough inconsistency that no two working pairs are truly identical.
Robert II, the first Stewart king, inherited a Scottish monetary system badly disrupted by decades of English occupation and ransom payments for David II — the 100,000 merk ransom agreed at Berwick in 1357 had drained silver reserves for years before Robert even took the throne. His groat issues consequently show considerable variation in silver fineness across the reign, a reflection of intermittent bullion shortages rather than any deliberate debasement policy.
Spink 5135 places this within the Edinburgh mint output, where dies were cut with enough inconsistency that no two working pairs are truly identical.