22 Shillings - Mary I 1st Period

Mary I's first coinage period in Scotland ran from her accession in 1542 through the late 1550s, though the crown's actual control over minting was complicated throughout by regency governance — first under Arran, then Mary of Guise. The 22-shilling denomination was a distinctly Scottish gold unit with no direct English equivalent, calibrated to the persistent differential between Scottish and English pound valuations rather than any attempt at parity.

Spink 5396 is among the scarcer gold issues of the reign, with surviving examples concentrated almost entirely in institutional collections.