A rare 16th Century gold coin showing the bust of Mary Queen of Scots who was later beheaded has sold for £17,500.
The three pounds royal coin struck in 1555 carries the bust of Mary Queen of Scots, with crowned arms on the reverse.
She was the only legitimate child of King James V of Scotland and ascended to the Scottish throne at just six days old.
However, she was forced to abdicate following an uprising in 1567 and later unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England in a Catholic rebellion known as 'the Rising of the North'.
Mary was executed in 1587 after being found guilty of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth.
The coin, which was sold by a collector, was expected to fetch £3,000.
But it sparked fervent interest, achieving a hammer price of £14,000, with extra fees taking the final figure paid to £17,500.
The sale was conducted by auctioneers Woolley & Wallis, of Salisbury, Wilts.
Ned Cowell, coin specialist at Woolley & Wallis, said: "This is a rare coin that relates to the reign of one of Scotland’s best known Royal figures.
"Mary was Queen of Scotland for a quarter of a century, but acceded to the throne at the age of just six days old.
"She was forced to abdicate in favour of her own year-old son, and 20 years later was executed at the order of her cousin, Elizabeth I.
"In a time when cash is becoming less and less frequent, handling coins that were in circulation almost 500 years ago is quite remarkable and it is fascinating to think about whose historical hands this coin might have passed through during the mid 16th century."
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