1619-1620 King James I third coinage gold Laurel with a spur...

Hammer

£7,000

1619-1620 King James I third coinage gold Laurel with a spur rowel mint mark graded Top Pop MS 62 (S 2638). Obverse: second laureate, draped and cuirassed bust with a square head, facing right with ties at neck in the shape of a double 'SS'. 'XX' mark of value behind, spur rowel mintmark and legend that reads 'IACOBVS D: G: MAG: BRIT: FRAN: ET: HIB: REX ·'. Reverse: crowned shield of royal arms, quartered by a long cross with 'FACIAM EOS IN GENTEM VNAM' around. Weight: 8.99g. Grade: MS 62, NGC Top Pop. Sealed in NGC holder (#2901843-018). The Latin legend found on the reverse of this gold hammered coin translates as 'I will make them one nation'. This inscription is taken from Ezekiel 37:22 and was chosen to indicate King James VI and I's wish to unite the then-separate sovereign states of England and Scotland. A formal political union would only be achieved in 1707, but James' accession to the English throne in 1603 brought the two nations into a personal union. Laurels were only produced at the Tower Mint in London during the reign of King James between the years 1619 and 1625 as part of his third coinage. Five different busts are used across these issues, with this example showing the second type: a medium-sized square head with the ties securing James' laurel wreath, forming a double SS at the back of his neck.