A Brief History of the Scottish Coinage

Obverse of 1567 Scottish Silver Ryal or Thirty Shillings

Reverse of 1567 Scottish Silver Ryal or Thirty Shillings

Obverse of James VI Gold Unit

Reverse of James VI Gold Unit

Obverse of Alexander III Silver Penny

Reverse of Alexander III Silver Penny

The Coin
We brushed the dirt off, held it to the light.
The obverse showed us Scotland, and the head
of a red deer; the antler-glint had fled
but the fine cut could still be felt. All right:
we turned it over, read easily One Pound,
but then the shock of Latin, like a gloss,
Respublica Scotorum, sent across
such ages as we guessed but never found
at the worn edge where once the date had been
and where as many fingers had gripped hard
as hopes their silent race had lost or gained.
The marshy scurf crept up to our machine,
sucked at our boots. Yet nothing seemed ill-starred.
And least of all the realm the coin contained.

Edwin Morgan
from
New Selected Poems, Carcanet Press, 2000, or Sonnets from Scotland, first published in its entirety in 1984.

If you want to find the value of a coin you own, please take a look at our page I've Found An Old Coin, What's It Worth?