Kingdom of Scotland, James VI, Sword and Scepter Piece 1603

In 1567, at the age of only thirteen months, James VI Stuart ascended to the Scottish throne (until 1625). 35 years later, with the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the English crown devolved upon him too. Of all people it was thus James, the son of Elizabeth's archenemy Mary Stuart, who under the name of James I became the first king to reign over the united realms of Scotland and England.

James Stuart was a highly educated man and a great lover of coins. He constantly introduced new denominations and coin types – of gold alone, counting fractional pieces, he issued eleven different coins with seven different designs. This coin is a sword and scepter piece, named after the image on the reverse. The obverse depicts the coat of arms with the Scottish lion. These coins were minted from 1601 to 1604.