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Cameron Maclean

@cmaclean.bsky.social

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SGSAH PhD student at the University of Glasgow researching Scottish, English and British coins. Details: https://www.gla.ac.uk/pgrs/cameronmaclean/

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Nov 16

This touchpiece was personally distributed by Henry Benedict Stuart, the last Jacobite pretender, when touching for the King’s Evil sometime between 1798 & 1800. It titles him as: ‘Henry IX, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France & Ireland, Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum’.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 20d

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.

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 21d

The edge of the gold twopence. It's slightly thinner than the circulating copper version.

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 21d

More die cracks can be seen on the reverse.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 21d

The small die cracks on the coin indicate that it was struck from old dies sometime after 1797.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 21d

The cartwheel twopence of George III was the heaviest copper coin ever minted for circulation in the British Isles. This is an extremely rare specimen made from solid gold. With a weight of 77.7g, it's even heavier than the regular copper version (56.7g). From the Hunterian collection, Glasgow.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 26d

Close up of the coin weights in their recesses and the balance scales. I’m assuming the string isn’t original? The small lid in the top right corner opens to reveal a bunch of smaller weights. These will have been used to test how much a coin deviated from its correct weight.

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 26d

A print pasted to the underside of the lid depicts various coin weights and their corresponding coins’ values in Dutch(?) currency. It also shows two merchants and a skeleton, perhaps a depiction of Death striking down a dishonest merchant?

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 26d

This set of coin weights from the mid-1600s would have been used by merchants to test the weights of different coins. It includes weights for gold coins from Scotland, England, continental Europe and Spain’s American colonies(?). The set is from the Hunterian collection.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 27d

The reverse depicts the arms of these four kingdoms and a Latin inscription that translates to: 'Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered'. This inscription had appeared on many earlier Scottish coins, including those of James III and Mary Queen of Scots.

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 27d

This gold sovereign was minted as part of James VI & I's 1st English coinage (1603-1604). The coinage was established in May 1603, just two months after James inherited the English throne from Elizabeth I. It titles him as 'King of England, Scotland, France & Ireland'. From the Hunterian collection.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 29d

The coin's full Latin inscription translates to: ‘George, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg, Arch-Treasurer and Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire’.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · 29d

This gold guinea of George I was minted in 1714, the year of his accession to the British throne. It's the earliest circulating British coin to title the monarch as 'Defender of the Faith' ('F D'), which continues to appear on coins to this day. From the Hunterian Collection.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 8

The reverses:

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 8

Coins of the two Queen Elizabeths. A 10 pence of Elizabeth II (2021) and a sixpence of Elizabeth I (1562). These two coins were minted over 450 years apart but they still share much in common, including the listing of both monarchs' titles in Latin. From the Hunterian collection.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 8

It weighs just over a gram. It’s about the same diameter as a modern 1p coin but much thinner.

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 7

Obverse at a different angle

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 7

The reverse

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 7

A silver penny of King Alexander III of Scotland with beautiful rainbow toning. It was minted sometime between 1250 & c.1280. This specimen is from the Hunterian collection.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 6

It's common for the period. You often see later 17th century-18th century British monarchs depicted in the same style on statues, engravings etc.

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 6

Here's gold £5 coins of George III (1820), George IV (1826) & William IV (1831) that also show the alternating portrait tradition.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 6

From top to bottom, left to right: a halfcrown of Charles II, James VII/II, William II/III & Mary II, William II/III alone, Anne, George I, George II, George III, George IV, William IV, Victoria, Edward VII, George V, George VI & Elizabeth II. All are silver except for the last.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Sep 6

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. From the Hunterian Collection

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Reposted by Cameron Maclean

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Aug 31

The 9th Scottish coinage alongside James's 2nd English coinage, both of which were authorised in 1604 & formed part of the Anglo-Scottish monetary union. The two smallest silver coins would've circulated as a halfpenny Sterling in England and as sixpence Scots in Scotland.

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Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Aug 31

The Scottish coins are from the collection formed by Lord Stewartby from the 1940s to 2017. It's the largest collection of Scottish coins ever assembled by a single individual. The English coins are from the collection of William Hunter, which he built between 1770 & 1783.

Cameron Maclean @cmaclean.bsky.social · Aug 31

It's a 12 shillings struck at the Edinburgh mint, although it would've circulated as a shilling in England as part of the monetary union.

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