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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

This is possibly the only complete set of King James VI & I's 9th Scottish coinage in existence. It was struck from 1605 to 1609 and consisted of 12 denominations that ranged in value from £12 to 6 pence Scots. The coins are from the Lord Stewartby Collection at the Hunterian.

The tiny 2.5 centesimos coin of Panama that dates to 1904. It’s popularly known as the ‘Panama pill’. With a diameter of just 10mm, it’s the smallest coin ever struck by the US Mint.

Charles I is depicted wearing intricately detailed armour on this Scottish gold unit that was minted sometime between 1637 & 1642. It’s widely considered to be one of the most beautiful Scottish coins ever struck. This example is from the Hunterian collection.

A Japanese 10 mon coin that was minted by the Tokugawa Shogunate sometime between 1708 & 1709. The coins were unpopular because their intrinsic copper value was much less than their face value. Their production was quickly discontinued.

This double-headed trial coin of Queen Anne (1702-1714) features her portrait on both sides. It was minted to test two different obverse dies for a proposed copper halfpenny that was never released into circulation. This example is from the Hunterian collection.

This gold medal was made to celebrate the Scottish coronation of King Charles II on 1 January 1651. It was the last coronation to take place in Scotland. This example from the Hunterian Collection is one of the very few known gold specimens.

The Tower of David is depicted on this coin of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem that was issued by King Baldwin III sometime between 1143 & 1163. It’s one of the estimated 12 million coins struck during his reign.

Prince Bohemond III, the ruler of the crusader Principality of Antioch, is depicted wearing a helmet adorned with a cross and chainmail on this coin. It was minted sometime between c.1163 & 1188.

This silver shilling of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is one of the earliest coins minted in what would become the USA. It depicts a pine tree & was struck in Boston sometime between c.1667 & 1682. This specimen is from the collection of the Hunterian museum.

The royal arms appear on this pattern shilling of Charles I that dates to 1635. It was produced via Nicholas Briot’s minting machinery so it is of much higher quality than the regular circulating coins that were struck by hand. This example is from the Hunterian Collection.

A crowned lion supports the royal coat of arms on this gold spur-ryal of King James VI & I that was minted at the Tower of London sometime between 1619 & 1620. These coins were struck in small numbers for distribution as gifts by the king. From the Hunterian collection.

This silver coin of Julius Caesar was minted in the last weeks of his life. It was struck sometime between mid-February and his assassination on 15 March 44 BC. Caesar is depicted wearing a laurel wreath and the veil of the Pontifex Maximus. From the Hunterian Collection.

Coin badges made for the @kingjamesconf.bsky.social alongside the original coins from the Hunterian collection.

Thank you to everyone that came to my coin handling workshops at @kingjamesconf.bsky.social It was an absolute privilege to get to introduce (most of) you to James VI & I’s coins.

The ‘Wall of Jameses’ votes have been counted and the winner is… Nicholas Hilliard’s Lyte Jewel (c.1610-11)!!! (Modelled here by our speaker @emilyhay.bsky.social)

A random selection of Jacobean coins and medals from the workshop hosted by the marvellous @cmaclean.bsky.social during the third day of @kingjamesconf.bsky.social It has been the most inspiring three days. So sad it's over.

Some of the many Scottish, English & Irish coins of James VI & I that we’ll be handling at the upcoming @kingjamesconf.bsky.social They’re from the collection of the Hunterian and date from 1567 to 1625.

Today is the last day to register! We are very excited to see how many attendees there will be in Glasgow and online, it’s going to be a fantastic few days 🤩 so don’t miss out …

King James VI & I (1567-1625) issued one of the most varied coinages of any monarch. Here's some of his Scottish & English coins from the Hunterian collection that display the massive range of different depictions used during his reign. They show James aged from 9 years old up to his 50s.

🚨 REMINDER 🚨 THERE ARE STILL A FEW DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER 😃 Join us in Glasgow (or ONLINE) from 9-11 July for an amazing line up of speakers and roundtables, plus much more ... Scan the QR code below or access the link here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understand...

On 9 July we are hosting a workshop on 'Establishing yourself as a PGR' @uofglasgow.bsky.social The event is supported by @sgsah.bsky.social & is open to any PGRs. You don't need to be attending the conference! For full details see below 😀 Text version: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

🚨 REMINDER 🚨 1 WEEK LEFT TO REGISTER 😃 Join us in Glasgow from 9-11 July (and online!) for an amazing line up of speakers and roundtables, plus much more ... eventbrite.co.uk/e/understand...

The earliest numismatic depiction of James VI appears on this gold £20 piece. It was minted in 1575 when the king was 9 years old & was the heaviest gold coin struck for circulation in the British Isles up to that point. It's one of the Hunterian coins we'll be handling at @kingjamesconf.bsky.social

This is an extremely rare trial striking for a base silver coin that Charles I almost introduced in 1640. The king devised the coinage to fund an army to oppose the Scottish Covenanters during the Second Bishops’ War. This coin from the Hunterian is possibly 1 of just 2 surviving specimens.

This medal was struck to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V & Queen Mary in May 1935. George V died less than a year later and Mary lived into the second year of the reign of Elizabeth II. Mary knew every British monarch from Queen Victoria to Charles III.

On 23 May 1901, 124 years ago to this day, someone found this halfpenny of Queen Victoria at the Glasgow International Exhibition in Kelvingrove Park. They later had it engraved as a memento of the event.

This gold medal was made to commemorate the death of Prince Henry, the eldest son of King James VI & I. He would have succeeded his father as king of Scotland, England & Ireland had he not died in 1612. It's one of the Hunterian medals we'll be handling at the upcoming @kingjamesconf.bsky.social

This gold coin of Romulus Augustus, the last Western Roman Emperor, was minted between 475 & 476. His deposition on 4 September 476 marked the end of the Western Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire lasted for another 1,000 years. From the Hunterian collection.

Less than 2 months to go until the conference 🥳🥳 Registration will be open until **1 June** www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understand... Join us in Glasgow from 9-11 July (or online!) for an amazing line up of speakers and roundtables, plus much more ... RT & feel free to share the programme

This silver shilling of King James VI & I was minted at the Tower of London sometime between 1616 & 1617. It is an extremely rare 'fine work' specimen that was made to a higher standard than regular coins for presentation purposes. From the Hunterian Collection.

This silver shilling of Elizabeth I is one of the 1st coins minted by machinery. Eloy Mestrelle struck machine-made coins in England from 1561 to 1571. He was way ahead of his time, machinery did not supplant the hand-struck method in England until the 1660s. From the Hunterian collection.

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

This is the first coin to depict Jesus. It was struck 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.

This tiny forty-eighth stater is one of the first coins ever made. It was minted in the Kingdom of Lydia sometime between the 630s & 553 BC, making it up to 2,650 years old.

This gold coin was issued by Allectus (293-296), the Emperor of the breakaway province of Britannia. Britannia was absorbed back into the Roman Empire after Allectus was killed in battle against the forces of Emperor Constantius Chlorus in 296. From the Hunterian collection.

This coin was minted in the city of Kurzuwan in June 1221 while it was besieged by Genghis Khan’s army. The city fell to the Mongols in the following month and the population was massacred.

James Francis Edward Stuart, the Jacobite pretender and father of Bonnie Prince Charlie, kept this medal case on his desk while living in exile in Rome. It depicts the Stuart royal arms and would've originally contained medals of James and his family. It's now in the Hunterian collection.

Charles III distributed Maundy money today, a royal tradition that dates back to at least 1213. King James IV of Scotland personally distributed this silver coin as part of a Royal Maundy ceremony in 1512. It’s the oldest identifiable Maundy money in existence.

This is what £1 Scots looked like in the final years of the currency’s existence. These silver 5 shillings coins of Queen Anne were minted in 1705 & 1706. From 1707 to 1709, the Edinburgh mint recoined silver Scottish coins into new British coins as a provision of the Union.

Registration for the conference is now open 🥳 There are a number of ticket options and registration will remain open until 1 June. The full programme is available on our website (subject to slight changes) We can't wait to see everyone in July!! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understand...

This Scottish silver ‘sword dollar’ was introduced in August 1567, a month after the forced abdication of Mary Queen of Scots. The sword and surrounding inscription of ‘for me; but against me if I deserve’ served to justify Mary’s removal from power. From the Hunterian collection, Glasgow.