Mary's first coinage period predates her marriage to the Dauphin Francis in April 1558, meaning these testoons were struck while she ruled Scotland as an unmarried queen regnant — a politically charged status her advisors were anxious to resolve. The Scottish mint at Edinburgh operated under significant pressure during these years, balancing French diplomatic expectations against domestic monetary needs.
Type IIIa is distinguished within the series by specific legend punctuation and die characteristics documented by Stewart and others working from the Cokayne corpus. Sp#5404 places it firmly in the taxonomy Burns established.
Mary's first coinage period predates her marriage to the Dauphin Francis in April 1558, meaning these testoons were struck while she ruled Scotland as an unmarried queen regnant — a politically charged status her advisors were anxious to resolve. The Scottish mint at Edinburgh operated under significant pressure during these years, balancing French diplomatic expectations against domestic monetary needs.
Type IIIa is distinguished within the series by specific legend punctuation and die characteristics documented by Stewart and others working from the Cokayne corpus. Sp#5404 places it firmly in the taxonomy Burns established.