Laurel
Illustration — Laurel of James I The Laurel was the third English gold coin with a value of twenty shillings (one pound sterling) produced during the reign of King James I. It was named after the laurel that the king is portrayed as wearing on his head, but it is considerably poorer in both quality and style than the sovereign and unite which preceded it. The coin was produced during James I's third coinage (1619-1625), five different busts of the king being used in these years. All the coins were produced at the Tower Mint in London.
Laurel
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- Field
- gold coin
- Region
- Kingdom of England
- Related practice
- gold
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1807905
In this article
Overview
Overview
The laurel weighed 140.5 gr, less than the previous unite but almost exactly the same as the Unite issued under Charles I. The earlier busts show considerably more detail of the king, who is looking to the left of the coin and has the value (20 shillings) to the right, behind the kings' head. The legend on the obverse reads IACOBUS D G MAG BRI FRA ET HIB REX -- James by the grace of God, of Britain France and Ireland King. The reverse shows a long cross over a crowned shield which shows the arms of the four countries, and the legend FACIAM EOS IN GENTEM UNAM ("I will make them one nation", from Ezekiel 37:22)
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
Explore 1619–1625
The full dated record · 4 entries
1619
Laurel first recorded.
1619
Laurel began in 1619.
1625
Laurel recorded as ended.
1625
Laurel ended in 1625.
Places
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Places
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Kingdom of England
Country
Laurel is associated with Kingdom of England.
Country
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Laurel stands. Recorded as a kind of gold coin. Situated in Kingdom of England. Laurel ended in 1625. Laurel began in 1619.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Laurel (English coin), revision 1297168515 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Jewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William. English Coins and Tokens. Swan Sonnenschein & Company. 49–50. 1890.
- 2.Henfrey, Henry William. A Guide to the Study and Arrangement of English Coins: Giving a Description of Every Denomination of Every Issue in Gold, Silver, and Copper, from the Conquest to the Present Time, with All the Latest Discoveries. J. R. Smith. 59. 1870.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
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Connections
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Broader subject
1- gold coinTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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