1 Noble - David II 1357

Weight

7.77 g

Diameter

36 mm

Thickness

NA

Material

Gold

Shape

Round (irregular)

Edge Type

NA

Technique

Hammered

Front design

King in a ship wielding a sword and a shield, the shield bears the royal arms of Scotland.

Back design

Ornate cross with crowns and lions in its quarters, all within a tressure with trefoils in the spandrils.

Year of Minting

1357

King

David II (1329-1371)

Mint location

Edinburgh , Scotland (1124-1708)

Mint mark

NA

Orientation

Variable alignment ↺

Inscriptions

Obverse: DAVID : DEI : GRA : REX : SCOTORVM Reverse: IHC · AVTEM TRANCIENS · P MEDIVM · ILLORVM · IBAT

Context

This coin was the first attempt by a Scottish monarch to introduce a gold coinage. It is based on the English noble of Edward III and was minted by David II after his return from captivity in England. The coin was likely minted in low numbers and remains an extreme rarity. One theory for its scarcity is that the noble was coined to pay off David II's ransom owed to Edward III, thus ensuring that most of them would be melted down once they were delivered into English hands. There are only 4 surviving examples, all of which are in museum collections. The specimens are in The Hunterian, Glasgow; the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh; the British Museum, London and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Rarity

Ultra rare

Coin type

Standard circulation

In circulation

No

Demonetized

Yes

Marketplace listings

0