Scotland - James VI Gold Double-Crown

[tonyclayton]

I have added a Scottish coin to my website for the first time.  It is a gold double crown of James VI; it is very similar to the English double crown of James I (they are the same person).  The shield is different - can anyone spot the other significant difference (not counting the mintmark)

http://www.ukcoinpics.co.uk/j1/10s

Enjoy


EDIT: Title.

[translateltd]

I have added a Scottish coin to my website for the first time.  It is a gold double crown of James VI; it is very similar to the English double crown of James I (they are the same person).  The shield is different - can anyone spot the other significant difference (not counting the mintmark)

http://www.ukcoinpics.co.uk/j1/10s

Enjoy

Nice.  Different crowns on the two coins (both obv and rev)?

[BC Numismatics]

Nice.  Different crowns on the two coins (both obv and rev)?

Martin,
  Look at the arrangement of the quarterings of the Coats-of-Arms on the reverse as well.

Scots gold coins are extremely pricey,& way out of my league,as far as prices go.

Aidan.

[Figleaf]

Enjoyed. Thank you. You have to wonder what these coins looked like straight out of the mint when presented to the king for his approva. Since gold is very stable you'd expect them to be not too far away from these pieces. Would the king not bother with the planchet defects, the small cracks, the fact that they are not round, the mediocre and unflattering portraits (the double chin on the half laurel!)? Or didn't he get to inspect the new coins in the first place? I have some evidence that the Stuarts took a personal interest in new issues, but that is set in London ...

Peter

[translateltd]

They were probably thought perfectly fine, in the absence of anything better to compare them with (barring the few machine-struck coins produced in the late 16th C.), so they wouldn't have had the benefit of hindsight that we enjoy :-)

[Figleaf]

Leonardo da Vinci was irritated enough by non round coins to invent a machine to cut perfectly round dies, but maybe the Stuarts did not have his sophistication and his ability to do something about his frustrations.

Pepys noted how he was charmed by the first machine struck coins, yet he was insensitive enough to think that a hanging, drawing and quartering was less impressive than the death of his cat.

Compare the art of the late Middle Ages with the coins of that period, or even better, compare early Renaissance medals with non-Italian coins of that period. It is as if coin die cutters could get away with anything. Even on large gold prestige coins.

Peter