Longest-Reigning Scottish Monarch's Impressive Gold Coin Will "Wow" Bidders

Heritage will be offering a rare Scottish coin in the January 2020 NYINC Auction that appears to have never crossed the auction block at Heritage in the past. A search of Heritage archives reveals no examples of the scarce 1575 or 1576 Scottish James VI 20 Pound gold coin in our previous sales. This denomination was only produced for two years and is an impressive, large gold coin made over 440 years ago by the longest-reigning Scottish monarch! It is also the largest hammered gold denomination that was ever struck for use in the British Isles.

Despite the age of these coins and the fact that most were melted or worn down since then, a small quantity have survived. Estimates say that perhaps less than 15 examples exist today across both dates of this fascinating type, the largest Scottish denomination. Heritage will be offering a surprisingly high quality XF40 NGC example with only light wear: https://coins.ha.com/itm/scotland/world-coins-great-britain/james-vi-gold-20-pounds-1575-xf40-ngc-/p/3089-19017.s

The ruler who issued these coins, James VI, was King of Scotland starting in 1567 and then later the King of England and Ireland as James I after the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. He was the son of the infamous Mary, Queen of Scots. He came to the throne at only 13 months old, with regents assisting until he came of age.

While an estimate has not yet posted for this lot, a less-nice example listed by a dealer sold for around $110,000 USD! This should be an exciting opportunity for collectors of early Scottish or British coinage when it comes up for bid.