Coin badges that we had made for the Understanding King James VI & I Conference at the University of Glasgow, which began a year ago today. The badges are shown alongside the actual coins of James VI & I that they depict. They're all from the collection of the Hunterian.

This gold medal was made to celebrate the marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza on 21 May 1662. Charles II is depicted on one side & Catherine on the other. William Hunter bought this medal for £8 18 shillings & 6 pence on 3 June 1773. It's now in the collection of The Hunterian.

Some of the coins & tokens that we examined in my Hunterian handling session earlier today. They date from c.296 BC to 1835.

Join us on 11th June 2026 for what promises to be a fascinating day of collegiate discussion and debate on seventeenth-century Scotland. Sign up here: A Kingdom in Perplexity: Voices of Seventeenth-Century Scotland www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-kingdom-...

A Kingdom in Perplexity: Voices of Seventeenth-Century Scotland

Eventbrite - University of Glasgow - College of Arts presents A Kingdom in Perplexity: Voices of Seventeenth-Century Scotland - Thursday, June 11, 2026 at Glasgow University Union, Glasgow, Glasgow. F...

eventbrite.co.uk

Hibernia, Britannia and Caledonia are depicted as the Three Graces on this pattern crown of George III that dates to 1817. Engraved by William Wyon, it's widely considered to be a masterpiece of numismatic art. However, the coin was not adopted for circulation. This specimen is from the Hunterian.

This gold coin was issued by Pertinax, who ruled the Roman Empire for 87 days in AD 193. Pertinax’s assassination by the Praetorian Guard brought an end to his short reign. He was the first of five men to claim the title of Emperor in that year. From the Hunterian collection.

This English pattern halfcrown was minted during the joint reign of Philip & Mary in 1554. Mary is depicted on one side and Philip II of Spain on the other. The coin did not enter circulation. This specimen from the Hunterian collection is one of very few surviving examples.

PhD submitted

King Henry VIII of England died on this day in 1547. He’s depicted on this silver testoon that was minted in the final years of his life (1544-47). Its dull grey colour is a result of the Great Debasement, during which the coins' silver content was lowered at a massive profit. From the Hunterian.

A few gold and silver coins of King James VI & I. They were minted at the Tower of London sometime between 1604 & 1607. From the Hunterian collection.

I got a wee mention in this Smithsonian Magazine article on Scotland’s oldest coin. www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a...

A Metal Detectorist Discovered the Earliest Known Coin Ever Produced in a Scottish Mint

Experts previously thought the first Scottish coins were minted in England, but this penny came from Edinburgh. National Museums Scotland has now acquired the historic piece of silver

smithsonianmag.com

This gold coin was issued by Petronius Maximus, one of the shortest reigning Roman emperors. He ruled the Western Roman Empire for just 75 days (17 March-31 May 455). This specimen is from the Hunterian collection.

The Roman Colosseum is depicted on this coin that was minted sometime between AD 80 & 81, soon after the building was completed. It was issued by Emperor Titus, reputedly for distribution in the arena as a mark of Imperial benevolence. This specimen is from the Hunterian collection.

This silver penny of Robert the Bruce was minted in Berwick following its recapture from the English in 1318, 4 years after the Scottish victory at Bannockburn. Bruce’s coins were struck in small numbers so very few survive. From the Lord Stewartby collection at the Hunterian.

Here's a coin of every monarch from Charles II to Elizabeth II (except Edward VIII). They date from 1677 to 1963 and showcase the alternating portrait tradition that began in 1662. Each monarch faces in the opposite direction from their predecessor. They are from the Hunterian collection.

This silver groat of James III of Scotland (1484-1488) was one of the 1st coins minted in Northern Europe with a realistic portrait in the Renaissance style. This example from the Lord Stewartby Collection is one of the best preserved I've ever seen.

Some of the coins that we handled in my previous Hunterian workshops on the history of minting technology in the British Isles. They date from the 6th century BC to 1820. The oldest is a half stater of Lydia (oval coin in the top left) and the most recent is a £5 of George III (bottom left corner).

This gold medal was made to celebrate the Scottish coronation of King Charles II, which occurred at Scone Palace on this day in 1651. It was the last coronation to ever take place in Scotland. This gold specimen from the Hunterian is exceedingly rare, most were cast in silver.

The earliest known coin to be minted in Scotland has been found. The penny of David I was struck in Edinburgh in the 1130s. The coin has been acquired by the National Museum of Scotland through Treasure Trove and will hopefully go on display in the future. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Earliest coin minted in Scotland saved for the nation after 900 years

The medieval David I silver coin, discovered in a wooded area in Midlothian, has been dated to the second half of the 1130s.

bbc.co.uk

This noble of King David II that dates to around 1357 is the first Scottish gold coin. David II possibly minted it to help pay off the massive ransom that he owed to Edward III of England. This specimen from the Hunterian collection is 1 of just 4 surviving examples.

This massive silver pound (120 grams) that was issued by King Charles I in 1644 is the heaviest circulating coin ever minted in the British Isles. Here it is alongside a modern £1 of Charles III. From the Hunterian collection.

These tiny 1/32nd gold ducats of Nuremberg are some of the smallest coins I’ve ever seen. They date to 1700 and weigh just 0.13 grams each. The two coins are from the Hunterian collection.

The gold laurel of King James VI & I that was minted from 1619 to 1625 is the 1st English coin to depict a monarch in the style of a Roman emperor since the Norman Conquest. Here it is surrounded by the Roman coins that inspired it. They are from the collection of the Hunterian.

This gold solidus is the earliest coin to depict Jesus. It was minted in Constantinople in 450 to celebrate Emperor Marcian's marriage to Pulcheria. Jesus is shown between the imperial couple. This specimen from the Hunterian collection is the only known example in existence.

The owl, a symbol of the Goddess Athena, appears on this silver tetradrachm of Athens that was minted sometime between 527 & 430 BC. It is perhaps one of the most iconic coins ever struck. The design still appears on Greek coins to this day. From the Hunterian collection.

Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, appears on this gold aureus that was minted in 42 BC. In that year, Brutus, one of the main plotters of Caesar’s assassination, took his own life after being defeated in battle by the forces of Octavian & Mark Antony. From the collection of The Hunterian.

This gold aureus of Emperor Hadrian was minted sometime between AD 128 & 129. The coin is nearly 2,000 years old but it looks like it could’ve been made yesterday. It’s from the collection of The Hunterian, Glasgow.

This medal was issued in 1912 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the gold standard in Japan. It depicts the 20, 10 & 5 yen coins that were introduced as part of the switch the gold standard. It’s one of the very few Japanese medals in the Hunterian collection.

Some ancient coins that we'll be looking at in an upcoming coin handling workshop. Includes coins of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra VII & Hadrian. They are all from the collection that was formed by William Hunter between 1770 & 1783.

I'm giving a talk to the British Numismatic Society on the 22nd of September. It'll be on James VI & I's Anglo-Scottish monetary union, which is the focus of my PhD research.