6 Pence - James I 3rd issue, 6th bust

James I's third coinage was administered under the newly consolidated Royal Mint following the 1619 indenture with Sir Richard Martin, which tightened weight standards after years of complaints about underweight sixpences slipping through. The 6th bust — the last portrait variant of this issue — appeared in the early 1620s as the king's health declined sharply, making it the shortest-lived bust of the series.

Spink 2670 examples frequently show die fatigue on the reverse, a known characteristic of late-reign production rather than circulation damage.