coins struck during William Wallace's campaign years are to be displayed publicly for the first time.
Glasgow University's Hunterian Museum received a #50,000 collection last month from the widow of private collector. The more than 800 gold and silver coins include 20 silver Scottish and English silver pennies which Wallace could have carried in his money pouch.
However, the most important item is a silver penny struck as a declaration of independence by Scots king Robert the Bruce after he routed the English foe at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
The wafer-thin coin is the size of a one pence piece, is made from silver bullion, and bears the latin inscription, ''Robert dei gra, rex Scottorum'' - ''Robert by the grace of God, King of Scots''.
Struck by skilled craftsmen at the newly captured Berwick mint in 1317, the coin would have been worth a day's wages and was legal tender across Europe. Bearing a stylised profile portrait of Bruce, it was one of the best quality coins circulating in Europe.
Dr Donal Bateman, coin curator at the Hunterian, said only a handful of the coins still existed: ''The Robert the Bruce penny is extremely rare and it is an excellent piece for the museum to have on display.
''Robert the Bruce struck the coin as a declaration of independence, a statement of prestige for Scotland to the then English King Edward I.
''There were plenty of English coins in use at the time but the striking of the coin was more symbolic than for practical reasons.
''Before he captured Berwick, he did not have the equipment to produce his own currency and circulating the coin gave him the chance to make his mark.
A selection of the coins will go on display at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow on Tuesday, March 21.
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