`Hat Piece' or Four Pounds (Sixth Coinage : James VI)
Issuer
King James VI and I
(Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1566 - 1625)
Date1591
Object NameHat Piece
Mediumgold
ClassificationsCoins
Dimensions28 x 0.7mm, 4.5gm
AcquisitionPurchased in 1988.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS017001
About MeOne of the most appealing images on any Scottish coin appears on the £4 piece of James VI's sixth coinage first minted in 1591 and appropriately nicknamed 'hatpiece'. Here the King is depicted wearing a flamboyant tall hat. Also interesting is the curious reverse design showing a lion holding a sword, the point of which disappears into a cloud; on the cloud is the word 'Jehova' in Hebrew lettering. Around this design is the inscription 'TE SOLUM VEREOR' ('Thee alone do I fear').
