Halfcrown with 'SEXTO' to the edge (S 3605, ESC 575). Obvers...

Hammer

£120

Halfcrown with 'SEXTO' to the edge (S 3605, ESC 575). Obverse: left-facing draped bust by John Croker with 'ANNA · DEI · GRATIA ·' around and an 'E' for Edinburgh, Scotland, below. Reverse: crowned cruciform shields of royal arms arranged around a central garter star with the date (1707) divided above and a legend that reads 'MAG BRI · FR ET · HIB REG ·'. Edge: raised lettering that reads 'DECVS * ET * TVTAMEN * * ANNO * REGNI * SEXTO * * *'. Weight: 15.00g. Diameter: 33.8mm. Grade: F - Fine or slightly better. This coin was struck in the year that the Acts of Union came into effect, combining the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and creating the Kingdom of Great Britain. Since 1603, England and Scotland had been ruled by the same monarch, but their parliaments had remained separate. The Union of the two states prompted a recoinage of Scottish silver currency to align with contemporary English money. From 1707 through to 1709, silver coins were struck at the Edinburgh Mint with an 'E' mintmark below the bust of Queen Anne to indicate their origin. On these Edinburgh issues and coins struck at the mint in London, two of the shields on the reverse show the conjoined arms of England and Scotland. Previous issues, struck pre-union, separate the English lions from the Scottish unicorn.