Over struck mint marks
Over struck mint marks (often called over-privy marks) occurred when the Mint physically altered an existing still usable die , with the new periods mint mark hammered directly over the top of the old mark. Engraving a coin die by hand was an expensive task , and so if the old die had not yet cracked from the heavy hand striking, it was sometimes reused for the next period. A new iron punch , in this case of the thistle mark, was struck with a heavy hammer over the existing rose mark on the die. Parts of the underlying old mark would sometimes appear around the edges of the new mark.
The two known thistle over rose examples are very different, as described below. Click on coins for larger images.
Third coinage mm Thistle over Rose -1 of 2
Obverse has legend and semi colons of the second coinage with mm thistle over rose, and still has stops to both sides of the Mark. Reverse has mm thistle on a third coinage die, although uniquely has retained the large Scottish lion.
Provenance:
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Glendining & Co auction 11-17 October 1956, Lockett Part IV, lot 2147
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Spink Numismatic Circular,December 1973, no.9968
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Purchased Spink, September 1978
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Spink auction 28-29 March 2012, The Magnus Collection, lot 916
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Spink auction 19 June 2025, lot 1577
Third coinage mm Thistle over Rose - 2 of 2
Obverse is the same die as both the rose S.2666A coins with ground line added, and thistle punched over rose. Reverse is the same die as the third example rose, again with thistle punched over rose.
Provenance:
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J.M. Ashby Collection, Spink Auction 145, 12-14 July 2000, lot 2029 [from Spink 1949];
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C. Adams Collection, Spink Auction 177, 1 Dec 2005, lot 51;
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bt M.C.S. Rasmussen Sept 2007.
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Dr John Hulett collection, DNW auction 13 Sept 2017, lot 432