Scottish Coinage - List of Scottish Coins

List of Scottish Coins

As with Scottish weights and measures, many of the Scottish denominations bore the same names as those in England, but were of slightly different values. The dates, and first kings to issue them are included:

• Pistole – Gold, 12 pounds Scots
• Dollar – Replacement for the ryal, 60 Scots shillings (James VI)
• Ryal – Gold, 1565
• Crown or Lion – Gold (James I)
• Half-crown, Demi-Lion or Demys – Gold (James I)
• Ducat or "bonnet" – 40 shillings, 1539 (James V)
• Mark or merk – Gold (giving rise to the term markland)
• Noble – Gold, worth half a mark, 1357 (David II, reintroduced by Robert III)
• Unicorn - Gold, 18 shillings Scots, 1484/5 (James III)
• Half-unicorn – Gold, 9 shillings Scots (James IV)
• Testoun – silver, 1553. Was produced in France with the new process of mill and screw, being the first milled coinage of Scotland.
• Bawbee – Billon, six pence from 1537
• Shilling
• Groat – Silver, equivalent to four pence, from 1357 (giving rise to the term groatland)
• Half-groat – Silver, equivalent to two pence, from 1357
• Turner – Billon, two pence (James VI), later copper.
• Bodle – Copper, two pence (Charles II)
• Hardhead – also called Lion, billon coin circulated in the reigns of Mary and James VI
• Penny – Billon, one of the earliest coins, dating from David I. Later made of copper; giving rise to the term pennyland.
• Halfpennies – Initially literally half of a penny, these became minted coins in their own right in c.1280. Later made of copper.
• Farthing or quarter-penny – These were originally quarters of pennies, but as with Halfpennies, became coins in their own right in c.1280. Later made of copper.
• Plack