Some ancient coins that we'll be looking at in an upcoming coin handling workshop. Includes coins of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra VII & Hadrian. They are all from the collection that was formed by William Hunter between 1770 & 1783.

Coins of Henry VIII and his three reigning children. Clockwise from the top: a testoon of Henry VIII (1544-1547), half-pound of Elizabeth I (1592-1595), sovereign of Mary I (1553) & a shilling of Edward VI (1551-1553). They are from the Hunterian collection.

And there you have it. Thick people are more likely to vote Reform.

Many congratulations to my friend Pipe Major Stuart Liddell MBE on his victory on Friday in the Glenfiddich Invitational Piping Competition. This is the 52nd championship, and Stuart has been the overall winner of no fewer than four of them. One of the finest pipers of our time.

This silver 5 shillings of Queen Anne is one of the last Scottish coins ever produced. It was struck at the Edinburgh mint in 1705. The last coins of the Kingdom of Scotland were minted in the following year.

This medal was minted to celebrate the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot on 5 November 1605, 420 years ago to this day. It depicts a snake hiding amongst flowers, surrounded by a Latin inscription that translates to: 'He who concealed himself is detected'. From the Hunterian.

Ah Nick Robinson who in 2014, about a week before the referendum, got a 7 min answer from Alex Salmond but then went on the BBC TV news and announced words to effect "An answer? - there was none" Unbelievable! But misrepresent American leader rather than Scots leader and...

He should never have been there in the first place. Johnson damaged public life in so many ways and this was one of them. We are now reaping what they have sowed. Labour government should back the BBC, support it against Trump and fight back harder against the right wing forces

Luxurious duck-shaped vessel expertly carved from a single piece of rock crystal around 3,500 years ago! From Bronze Age Mycenae, it is said to be an exquisite example of imported Minoan stoneworking. Probably used to hold oils or cosmetics. National Archaeological Museum,

My latest blog is all about the results of our excavation on what we think was Wallace's Camp before the Battle of Stirling Bridge! open.substack.com/pub/stirlingar…

This testoon is the earliest silver coin to depict Mary Queen of Scots. It was struck at the Edinburgh mint in 1553, when Mary was just 10 years old. This example from the Hunterian collection is one of around twenty surviving specimens.

St Andrew is depicted crucified on a saltire on this gold coin of King James II of Scotland that was minted sometime between 1451 & 1460. This coin was found in Glasgow Cathedral and donated to the Hunterian in 1816.

#fingerpostfriday

Up the castle stairs into Christmas today. Delgatie in Aberdeenshire. #SundayMorning #Scotland

No wonder women are outraged by the John Lewis Christmas advert where a young mum receives a frying pan as a present. A frying pan is not a gift to buy today’s modern woman. It’s patronising & offensive!😡 A food blender or an air fryer would have been far more appropriate.✅

If we don't fight to preserve fox hunting, it will become a thing of the past just like other glorious traditions, like cock fighting and children working down mines.

This penny of Robert the Bruce was minted in Berwick following its recapture from the English in 1318, 4 years after the Scottish victory at Bannockburn. Bruce’s coins were struck in small numbers so very few survive. From the Lord Stewartby Collection

The British Museum

When X is banned you will never hear from Darren Grimes, June Slater, Laurence Fox, Tommy Robinson, Rupert Lowe and even Liz Truss ever again. You will realise how odd it was that they were. Gonna be lovely

Republicans against Trump He is absolutely right. Greenland is not part of Denmark because a boat arrived 500 years ago but because: - Vikings arrived and settled when Greenland was empty i the late 900's. - Greenland came under the Danish crown in 1380 and has remained so ever since. - The ownership