Scotland, James VI 1592 gold Hat Piece of 80 Shillings, Renaissance portraiture

Scotland, James VI (1567-1625), gold "Hat piece" of Eighty Shillings or Four Pounds, sixth coinage (1591-93), 1592, bearded bust of King right in tall Renaissance style hat, thistle behind, Latin legend and beaded borders surrounding both sides, initial mark cinquefoil, .IACOBVS. 6. D. G. R. SCOTORVM., rev. crowned Scottish lion with sceptre raised to heavenly cloud, Jehovah in Hebrew script in cloud, initial mark cinquefoil, stop after date in legend, .TE. SOLVM. VEREOR. 1592., weight 4.46g (Burns 2 fig.952; SCBI 35:1156; SCBI 58:1266-1268; SCBI 71:1053/-; S.5457). Light red tone mostly in legends, light crease across centre, some hairline scratches in obverse field, otherwise very fine with an excellent portrait in the Renaissance style of the King in his mid-twenties, very rare and desirable with a good provenance.

The coinage of these Four Pound or Eighty Shilling pieces was ordered on the 6^th August 1591 by Act of Privy Council at 22 carats fineness, and were the first gold coins of Scotland to adopt this fineness, of which all gold coins of Scotland and that of Great Britain have been struck ever since. All previous gold coins issued were called in for recoinage apart from the Thistle Nobles of 1588-90 at this time and the coinage was issued for three dates 1591, 1592 and 1593.

The Latin legends translate as on the obverse "James the Sixth, by the grace of God, King of Scotland" and on the reverse "Thee alone do I fear."

Provenance:

Ex Rev. J H Pollexfen, Sotheby, 27^th June 1900, lot 384, sold for £19/10/- to dealer Rollin.

Ex Herbert M. Lingford collection, part II, (James VI / James I), Glendining, 20^th June 1951, lot 837, plate I, sold for £70.

Ex Spink Numismatic Circular, September 1983, item 5591, offered at £7,500.

Ex Spink Coin Auction 76, 24^th May 1990, lot 54.

Ex Dolphin Coins, "Sovereign" list 2, 1992, item 1514.