12 Shillings - James VI 10th Coinage

James VI's 10th coinage was struck following the 1603 Union of the Crowns, a period when Scottish and English monetary systems ran in uneasy parallel. The 12 shilling piece occupied an awkward position — too valuable for routine market use, too low for major transactions — which partly explains why survivors show relatively light wear. James's Scottish mint at Edinburgh continued operating independently throughout his reign, maintaining a separate coinage even as he aggressively pushed for full political and economic union, a project that ultimately failed during his lifetime.