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1 Plack - James VI
| Issuer | Edinburgh Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1583-1590 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Currency | Pound Scots (1136-1707) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the crowned Royal Arms of Scotland, depicting a rampant lion within a shield surmounted by an open crown. The shield is set within a beaded inner circle, with the surrounding legend in Latin reading IACOBVS · 6 · D · G · R · SCO` · identifying James VI as King of Scots by the Grace of God. The overall composition is characteristic of late sixteenth-century Scottish hammered billon coinage, with an irregularly shaped flan typical of the period. The relief is moderately bold, though some peripheral detail is softened by wear and die-strike irregularities. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The plack denomination had circulated in Scotland since the fifteenth century, but by James VI's minority and early personal reign the coinage had become a persistent headache for the Privy Council. Successive debasements under his predecessors left the public deeply suspicious of billon issues, and proclamations attempting to fix exchange rates between Scottish and English coin were largely ignored in practice.
Spink 5513 corresponds to the "sixth period" coinage reforms initiated around 1583, part of a broader effort to rationalize a chaotic monetary system before James was old enough to govern effectively. The regent's council, not the teenage king, drove most of these decisions.