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Scottish Coins ~ Robert I (1306-1329)
The most famous reign in Scottish history arose from the ashes of King Edward I of England's unsuccessful attempt at subjugation and annihilation of the Scottish nation. Robert the Bruce as he was known was descended from a Norman lineage whom had settled in Scotland during the 12th century and had also descended through a marriage from David I (1124-1153). After ten years of armies traversing to and fro across Scotland, and the subsequent flight of John Balliol, Scotland was left without determined leadership. The many claimants to the throne argued and thus did not unite until 1306, when Robert Bruce stepped forward and was proclaimed as King of Scots. The battle of Bannockburn in 1314 all but settled for the moment the question of Scottish independence. The withdrawal of the forces of Edward II of England left Scotland under Scottish rule for the first time in over twenty years. Scotland was recognised as independent of England by the Pope just prior to the end of this reign. Numismatically, few coins were issued during this reign. This may have in part been due to the lack of silver to make coins, but also reflected the downturn in the economy due to the long conflict and subsequent effect it had on trade. I The coinage was a continuation of the coinage of Alexander III(1249-1286) with the denominations of penny, halfpenny and farthing. All coins from this reign are scarce, particularly the halfpenny and farthing. Curiously they may not be as rare as some John Balliol pieces, however the interests in coins of this monarch drive up prices considerably. It is conjectured that coins from this reign were minted after the capture of Berwick in 1318, and of course, it's nearby silver mines. However coins have not been connected with any mint location, but Berwick is most likely as it is where most pennies were minted during the reign of Alexander III. Lower graded examples typically trade for £550-1000 on up. Denominations used during this reignSilverPenny, similar to the last penny issued during John's reign, with four mullets of five points. This coin is S-5076 and SRB1D-005. There are two varieties of this coin, one with a bar over the A in GRA, and another without the bar.Halfpenny, similar to the penny above, but two mullets of five points on the reverse. This coin is S-5077 and SRBHD-005.Farthing, similar to the above coins, but four mullets of five points on the reverse. This coin is S-5078 and SRBFA-005.Collecting coins from this reignAside from Queen Mary's coins this reign is likely the most popular reign to collect coins from in Scottish history, movies the past few years that cover this period in British history have no doubt contributed to the interests in these pieces. Coins from this reign are probably a bit more common than they would appear to be, but demand is strong for them and demand drives prices. Coins in better than Fine condition are quite rare. The most commonly available coins for collectors are the pennies, which are more easily found by detectorists etc. It is not certain whether many halfpennies or farthings were ever struck, they were not overly popular contemporarily, as cuts of pennies were still quite common, particularly those of Edward I. During this time a majority of the coins in circulation were still English pennies, particularly those of Edward I. |
Page last updated on 5th August 2011 Года All pages and images copyright © David Parrish 1999 - 2011 Года
