James I gold Unite, second coinage (1604-1619), cinquefoil m...

Hammer

£1,400

James I gold Unite, second coinage (1604-1619), cinquefoil mintmark (S 2620, North 2085). Obverse: half-length armoured fifth bust facing right with orb and sceptre, his crown extending to the edge of the coin, cinquefoil mintmark, 'IACOBS: D.' G.' MA.' BRI.' FRA.' ET.' HI.' REX ·'. Reverse: Quartered and crowned shield of royal arms with 'I' and 'R' either side, '· FACIAM: EOS: IN: GENTEM: VNAM ·' around with cinquefoil mintmark. Weight: 10.0g. Diameter: 36mm. Grade: aVF - full flan, minor crack in front of the bust and some flat areas to the left of the shield; otherwise about Very Fine. Unites get their name from their reverse inscription - 'FACIAM EOS IN GENTEM UNAM' - from Ezekiel 37:22, which translates from the Latin as 'I will make them one nation'. These hammered gold coins were first produced after James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne as James I. The inscription alludes to James' wish to make his personal union of the crowns of the two nations into a full political union though this would not be achieved for nearly a century.