This is the obverse of a gold half-unit minted at Edinburgh between 1625 and 1636, during the reign of Charles I. The coin was worth £12 Scots or £1 English.
The obverse bears a portrait of the king in armour. The Latin inscription translates as: 'Charles, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland'.
During Charles's reign the mill and screw coin press was introduced to Scotland by a Frenchman, Nicolas Briot, who was Master of the Mint for a time. The press lent Charles's coins a level of technical excellence previously unknown.
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