Overview

Few people realise that the thistle on the modern British five pence is a reminder of what was once a separate Scottish coinage. King David I was the first Scottish monarch to issue his own coins, in the twelfth century. For over two hundred years, only silver pennies were minted but from the fourteenth century a succession of new types and values appeared, including gold nobles, unicorns, ducats, unites, silver ryals, merks and dollars. Minor coins include billion placks, hardheads and nonsunts as well as copper turners and bawbees. Superb portraits are to be found on the coins of James VI and Charles I. The Scottish coinage was one of endless change and variety, among the most interesting of medieval Europe, and was only bought to an end following the Act of Union in 1707.

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Donald Bateson was born in Belfast, where he took a degree in archaeology at Queen's University. He studied ancient enamelwork for his doctorate and published a book 'Romano-British Enamelwork.' After a year as a research fellow at the Institute of Irish Studies he took charge of the Numismatics section in the Ulster Museum. In 1978 he moved to Glasgow to become Curator of the Hunter Coin Cabinet at Glasgow University. Dr Bateson's interest in Scotland's coinage has led to the completion of a 'Sylloge' of the Hunterian's Scottish coins. He has also published many papers on numismatics and lectures on the subject in the universiy and to local societies.

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