A £50,000 reward has been offered in a fresh appeal to solve the theft of rare Scottish coins from the Borders.

More than a thousand from the 12th and 13th centuries were stolen by criminals in June 2007 from the home of Lord and Lady Stewartby in Broughton, Peeblesshire.

The collection has been described as of “significant national importance”.

Angela Parker, national manager at charity Crimestoppers Scotland, said: “This was the best collection of Scottish coins ever assembled by a private individual.

“We cannot overestimate the importance of the collection to Scotland’s rich heritage.”

The reward is available for three months. 

Crimestoppers has put up its maximum £20,000, with an anonymous donor providing the rest.

The collection covers the earliest period of Scottish coinage, from the reign of David I to Alexander III. 

It had been built up over many years by Lord Stewartby, who died in 2018.

Lady Stewartby said: “My late husband was five years old when he was given his first Scottish coin.

“Over the next 50 years, he put together a collection which included some of the earliest Scottish coins.

“Lord Stewartby told me and our children that they represented Scotland’s history at a time when few people had access to books or pictures.

“He emphasised the importance of these rare coins to Scotland’s heritage."

The 'Lord Stewartby Collection of Scottish Coins' was entrusted to The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow in 2017. 

It is hoped that the missing coins, which have been described as smaller than a modern penny, will join the rest.

Jesper Ericsson, curator of numismatics at the Hunterian, University of Glasgow, said: "Portraits of kings and inscriptions may be worn down to almost nothing and the coins might be oddly shaped, perhaps even cut in half or quarters.

"You could fit 1,000 into a plastic takeaway container, so they don’t take up a lot of space.

"They may look unremarkable, but these coins are the earliest symbols of Scotland’s monetary independence.

"Their safe return will not only benefit generations of scholars, researchers, students and visitors to come, but will also right a wrong that Lord Stewartby never got to see resolved before he died.

"My plea to whoever has these coins is to contact Crimestoppers and return them to where they belong. Give Scotland back its coins.”

The reward is only payable for information which is passed directly to Crimestoppers and a reward code must be asked for when calling.

The charity can be contacted on 0800 555 111 or through their website and ‘Keep in Contact’ portal.