Scotland, Charles I gold Unit by Briot

Scotland, Charles I (1625-49), gold Unit or Double Angell issued at £13/4/-, third coinage by Nicholas Briot (1637-42), crowned and armoured half-length figure right, holding orb and sceptre, breaking inner beaded border, legend with lozenge stops and outer beaded border surrounding both sides, CAROLVS. D: G. MAG. BRITAN. FRAN. ET. HIB. REX., followed by thistle and .B. prone for Briot, rev. crowned quartered shield of arms, crowned C with lozenge below to left, crowned R with lozenge below to right, legend HIS. PRÆSVM. VT. PROSIM., with lozenge stops, weight 9.84g (Burns 3 fig. 1032; S.5531). With a pleasing red tone, good very fine.

The Lords of Secret Council had sanctioned the use of Briot's mill and screw press for the minting of coinage on the 12th January 1637, at first for silver coins only, however, from 19th October 1637 a warrant was issued to strike gold coins from gold supplied from the Guinea coastline by the African Company. Direction was given on 14th December 1637 to Nicholas Briot and his son-in-law John Falconer at Edinburgh to issue Units, Halves and Quarters in the same specification as the first issue albeit now machine made by the screw press. The Unit also known as the Double Angell was therefore issued at £13/4/- which later rose on the 26th November 1661 to £13/6/8d.

The Latin legends translate as on the obverse "Charles, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland" and on the reverse "I am set over them, that I may be profitable to them."

Provenance:

Ex Roderick Richardson, Circular, Autumn 2001, number 2.