The earliest known coin to be minted within Scotland has been secured for the nation following its discovery by a metal detectorist.

Discovered in a wooded area near Penicuik, Midlothian, in 2023, the silver coin dates to the late 1130s, during the reign of King David I. After review by the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel, it was valued at £15,000 and assigned to National Museums Scotland (NMS), with the finder receiving the reward, according to BBC reports.

Although King David I is recognised for introducing Scotland’s first coinage, earlier examples were thought to have been minted in Carlisle, Cumbria, which was under his control at the time. This coin, however, carries an inscription showing it was produced in Edinburgh. Alice Blackwell, senior curator of medieval archaeology at NMS, said this makes the find historically significant, as it provides the first evidence of Scottish coins being struck within the heart of the Scottish kingdom rather than south of today’s border.

The coin shows an image of the king on one side and a cross design on the other. With very little surviving documentary evidence about medieval minting, the coin itself acts as a key historical source. It offers rare insight into how David I—who founded royal burghs such as Stirling and Perth—developed Scotland’s economic systems. NMS plans to study the coin further and hopes to display it publicly in the future.