24/07/2026
On this day, 24 July 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots was compelled to abdicate the Scottish throne in favour of her thirteen-month-old son, the future James VI. Imprisoned at Lochleven Castle following months of political turmoil, her forced abdication marked the end of one of the most dramatic reigns in British history.
Although she would briefly escape captivity, Mary never regained her crown, and her extraordinary life ultimately ended with her ex*****on in England in 1587. Her legacy, however, endures through the remarkable coinage struck during her reign.
Mary’s legacy, however, endures through the remarkable coinage struck during her reign, reflecting the political and personal milestones of her rule, from her early marriage to French dauphin Francis II through to the turbulent years preceding her abdication; rich in symbolism and of exceptional rarity, these coins remain among the most important and desirable issues in Scottish numismatics
We are delighted to announce that some of the finest and most significant coins of Mary’s reign will be offered as part of The Kilmarnock Collection, featured in Sovereign Rarities Auction XXIII. The collection is an impressive assembly encompassing as many of the silver and base-metal coin types of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1567) and James VI of Scotland (1567–1625) as possible. The result of approximately 35 years of dedicated collecting, the collection was built through a continual pursuit of the finest obtainable examples to represent each Standard Catalogue number from these two remarkable reigns.
