Description
Great Britain 1623/4 King James I Gold Quarter Laurel (5 shillings) 3rd coinage, beaded, S2642B.
Good Very Fine.
The Gold Quarter Laurel of James I was a denomination only issued during his third and final coinage (1619-25). A full Laurel was worth 20 shillings, a quarter Laurel 5 shillings.
The obverse shows a large portrait of James, facing left, his laurels tied with two loose ends at his neck. A mark of value - a 'V' appears in the field behind.
The reverse features a crowned, squared topped shield of royal arms, quartered by a cross with decorative terminals, cutting through a beaded circle.
Spink Coins of England catalogue value: £2,000.
King James I was born in 1566, the son of Mary Queen of Scots and Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. He became King of Scotland when he was 13 months old, but needed to wait until the age of 37 before becoming King of England. This brought together England, Ireland and Scotland for the first time.
James was a keen scholar and published a number of books. His most important being the issue of the Authorised King James's Version of the bible 1611.
He was not a popular King who believed in the Divine Right of Kings, ruling in an authoritarian manner and denying anyone the right to disagree with him. He died in 1625 after a stroke, leaving his son, Charles, to take his place on the throne.