British Coins

Scotland, Alexander III (1249-86), First coinage, Sterling, type VII, mint and moneyer uncertain, bust right with zig-zag profile, rev. long voided cross, stars in angles, wl [ – ] tel mel, 1.16g/11h (SCBI 35 –; B –; S 5047). Good fine, the reverse reading unpublished, apparently UNIQUE £600-800

The reverse reading of the present coin is problematic; it may be a contemporary copy but the style of the portrait and lettering suggests an official source. On comparison with images of other class VII coins, mostly from the Lockett collection, it bears a strong stylistic similarity to coins of the Perth mint, signed Iohan, Ion or Ion Cokin. Within the body of coins of Alexander’s first coinage there already lies a similar enigmatic issue, the coins of classes III and VI signed wilanerter. The first part has been interpreted as a moneyer’s name wilam, while the second element can be seen as part of the mint name Lanark. In this case, however, the reverse can be die-linked to coins signed by the Edinburgh moneyer Nicol (Stewartby, in Mints Dies and Currency, p.278, 13 and 16). Until a similar die-link can be found for the present coin, any definite attribution will remain elusive