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1 Penny - Alexander III 2nd Coinage, Class B
| Issuer | Scotland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1280-1286 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Crowned facing bust of King Alexander III, rendered in a stylized medieval manner, occupying the central field. The king's effigy features a prominent crown adorned with fleurs, with the face shown in a frontal position displaying large eyes and a beard indicated by pellet-work. The bust is contained within a beaded inner circle, with the surrounding legend in uncial Latin characters reading ALEXANDER DEI GRA. The portrait reflects the characteristic flat, linear engraving style of late 13th-century Scottish hammered coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ALEXANDER DEI GRA (Translation: Alexander, by the Grace of God) |
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| Additional information |
Alexander III's monetary reform of 1280 brought Scotland's coinage into closer alignment with the English sterling penny, a deliberate policy response to cross-border trade friction and the chronic problem of foreign coins — particularly continental imitations — circulating alongside legitimate currency. The Class B distinction within the 2nd Coinage refers to a specific arrangement of the reverse voided cross and the number of pellets in each quarter, differentiating die varieties catalogued by Stewart and others.
Alexander died in March 1286 after his horse stumbled over a cliff at Kinghorn in the dark, ending the direct male line of the House of Dunkeld and triggering the succession crisis that would eventually draw Edward I into Scottish affairs.