Scottish Coins in the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh : Part I. 1526-1603 (Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles)

This full illustrated catalogue will become the standard reference work for Scottish coins of the middle and later sixteenth century, which include some of the most beautiful coins ever minted in Britain. The collection at the National Museums of Scotland is undoubtedly the largest and most comprehensive public collection of this series in the world. The volume covers the period which commenced with the innovations of James V's second coinage in 1526 and concluded with the last of James VI's issues prior to the Union of the Crowns and the consequent harmonisation of the Scottish and English coinages. It therefore includes all the issues of the period during which the Scottish precious metal coinage reached its apogee in terms of artistic excellence and Renaissance-inspired design. Paradoxically, this was also a time during which poor quality, base metal, coins were minted in enormous quantities. Every coin of the period in the NMS collections is described; every gold and silver piece is illustrated, along with many examples from the large accumulations of everyday coins. A full introduction gives an account of the history of Scottish coin production from 1526 to 1603, and discusses a pioneering metallurgical analysis of Scottish billon coinage issues. An essential tool for numismatists, museum curators and coin collectors, this catalogue will also appeal to all those interested in the art of the Renaissance.