Penny (Alex III : Second Coinage)
Issuer
King Alexander III
(Roxburgh Castle, Scotland, 1241 - 1286)
Date1280-1286
Object NamePenny
Mediumsilver
ClassificationsCoins
DimensionsOverall: Diameter: 20 mm, Thickness: 0.6 mm
Weight: Weight: 1.9 gm
Weight: Weight: 1.9 gm
AcquisitionBequeathed in 1943 by George W Clyne.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS011905
About MeFollowing the changes of 1250 a further reform of Alexander III's coinage was carried out thirty years later. In both England and Scotland the new coins showed an advance in the quality of workmanship, the Scottish version depicting a well defined profile head as well as inscriptions that are easy to read.The recoinage of 1280 was a direct consequence of alterations made a year earlier to the style of the English coins of Edward I.
Inconveniently, from the point of view of the present-day student of Scottish coinage, the 1280 coins of Alexander III no longer include the mint name in their reverse inscriptions. It has been observed that the total number of points on the mullets (stars) in the angles of the cross varies and it has been suggested that this is an indication of the different mints. Unfortunately, no one has yet been able to decipher the 'code'.
