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1 Unite - James I 2nd coinage, 5th bust
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1604-1619 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 9 g |
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| Obverse description | Half-length armored effigy of King James I facing right, wearing an elaborate crown and robes of state, the right hand raised holding an orb and the left bearing a sceptre extending diagonally across the field. The portrait, characteristic of the fifth bust variety, displays the king with a bearded visage and richly detailed regalia. The legend encircles the effigy within a beaded inner border, rendered in Latin capitals. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Unite was introduced in 1604 as England's new principal gold denomination, its name derived from James's obsessive political project of uniting the English and Scottish crowns — a union Parliament repeatedly refused to formalize in law. The coin's value was fixed at twenty shillings, replacing the Tudor sovereign in everyday high-value transactions.
The fifth bust, introduced partway through this long coinage, is distinguished numismatically by subtle die variations that specialists use to sequence the issue across mints. Spink 2620 encompasses a notably wide production window, and examples vary considerably in sharpness depending on which point in the coinage they were struck.