Nicol’s Nickels

Nicol mac Donnachaidh is a longtime friend of mine. We have known each other longer than either of us would care to admit. I have worked with him, fought by his side and been the recipient of his well-crafted words as part of some of my scrolls. He is a great guy and so when he asked me to craft for him some personal tokens, I was happy to help. I took design elements from some 14th Century Scottish coins, but I wanted to incorporate aspects of his personal heraldry: Gules, a fess urdy between two apples Or and a clenched gauntlet issuant from base argent, as well as his name.

Typical coins of this period and geographic location were struck on cold planchets of precious metals, e.g. silver or gold using dies of iron. These dies would have been created using punches to deform the iron dies so that the image would transfer onto the softer silver or gold when hammered. For this simulacrum that I created the original was etched copper, and then cast in pewter.