George III English Coinage

[Deeman]

Bank of England token, 3/- 1811-16

Issued each year from 1811-16, diameter 35mm. There are two obverse designs. The first dated 1811/12 has a patterned border and a laureate and cuirassed long-haired bust of the king facing right. The second dated 1812-16 has a plain border and a short-haired laureate bust. Both have the same circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God, king'. There are two reverse designs. The first dated 1811/12 has a patterned border with an oak wreath with acorns. The second dated 1812-16 has a plain border with a wreath of alternating oak leaves with acorns and olive leaves with berries. Both have a four-line inscription BANK / TOKEN / 3 SHILL. / Date within the wreath.




1811 Bank of England pattern 3/- token, en médaille.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX.




1816 Bank of England pattern 3/- token, en médaille.

[Deeman]

Bank of England token, 1/6 1811-16

Issued each year from 1811-16, diameter 26mm. There are two designs and both follow the shilling but with the four-line inscription of BANK / TOKEN / 1S. 6D. / Date.




1811 Bank of England pattern 1/6d token, en médaille.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX.




1813 Bank of England pattern 1/6d token, en médaille.

[Deeman]

Bank of England 1812 pattern 9d token

The obverse design is a short-haired laureate bust of the king facing right with a circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God, king'. The reverse design is a wreath of alternating oak leaves with acorns and olive leaves with berries around a four-line inscription BANK / TOKEN / 9D. / 1812. A second pattern exists the value expressed as 9 pence.



1812 Bank of England pattern 9d token, en médaille.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX.

[Deeman]

Copper Overview

During the 1760s, the minting of counterfeit copper coins, especially halfpence, increased dramatically and a virtual torrent of bad coins was foisted on the public. The Treasury finally decided that enough was enough and issued orders to the Mint to begin copper coinage.

The idea was to issue copper coins of full weight, which would put the lightweight counterfeit pieces in a bad light with the public and lead to their withdrawal. That was the plan, but it didn't work out in practice. Between 1770 and 1775, several million farthings and halfpence were coined at the Tower Mint and many of these entered circulation. However, large numbers of them were bought up by the counterfeiters, who used the high-quality metal to put out their own lightweight products in even larger numbers. In 1775, the authorities called off the operation, tacitly admitting that they had been defeated by the counterfeiters. There were strict laws in the 18th century against such activity, but they really applied only to silver and gold coins. In a technical sense, the laws also applied to the coppers, but only if a counterfeit was a virtually exact copy. The forgers got around this inconvenience by simply striking their coins with deliberately blundered legends.

The problem was that copying the genuine coins was not difficult and by 1787 the Mint reported that only 8% of the coin then in circulation 'had some tolerable resemblance to the king's coin'. The passage of stricter laws was to no avail because it was nearly impossible in court to prove that samples of fake coins were made by those accused of making them; consequently, the copiers produced swarms of fake farthings and halfpennies (often made from melted real coppers using diluted metal). The seemingly inevitable result was the issuing of private tokens by tradesmen. They struck increasing numbers of copper tokens, which were generally marked as being payable at some firm or other. These were usually of good copper, well struck and honestly issued by responsible firms.

The beginning of the end for the old ways of British coinage occurred in the early 1770s, when budding industrialist Matthew Boulton became interested in the coining process. Lack of small change had threatened to derail industrial progress towards the end of the 18th century. Boulton was able to solve this problem. He made major improvements not only in the technological aspects of minting practices, but also in the transport of the raw materials needed, and in the distribution of the completed products. In 1786 he met a Frenchman in Paris, Jean Pierre Droz, who had devised a collar that would ensure that the coins would be struck consistently 'round and all of one size.' He now had progressed to the point where he obtained a lucrative contract to strike coins for India at the request of the East India Company. His first copper coinage was the one, two and three-keping coins for Bencoolen, the EIC's possession on the southern coast of Sumatra. These coins were minted in 1786 and 1787. Boulton struggled to complete the Bencoolen order. With aspirations to expand copper coin production, a mint was erected at the manufactory in 1788-89. By the end of 1790, Boulton's Soho Mint had four presses on line, plus a fifth upon which to make experiments, together with other machinery to produce coinage. Boulton's mint secured further orders from the EIC for the Bombay Presidency dated 1791 and 1794. During the late 1780s and early 1790s, Boulton repeatedly petitioned the British Treasury to give him a contract to strike copper coins that would contain nearly their full value in metal.

Jean Pierre Droz was a prominent engraver and die sinker for the Paris Mint. Droz had developed a mechanism that allowed incuse edge inscriptions to be produced on coins while they were being struck. Boulton and his partner John Watt first met Droz during a business trip to Paris. Boulton was so impressed with the innovations Droz made during his tenure at the Paris Mint that he offered Droz a prominent position at the Soho Mint. Intrigued by the application of steam power to the mint process Droz accepted Boulton's offer in 1787. Boulton had some difficulty getting Droz to produce the George III pattern coins that he desperately needed to present to the Privy Council Committee to secure a contract with the Government and the deadline was missed. This, however, was not a complete loss for Boulton, for the committee members were impressed with Boulton and the Soho Mint. With increasing pressure from Boulton, Droz eventually produced a halfpenny pattern in Feb 1788. Unfortunately, the reverse die gave in and broke after a dozen or so were struck. By Jun 1788 Droz had produced a little over 50 gilt halfpenny pattern coins and later dispersed them to the powers that be. Over the next two years, Droz continued his slow pace and eventually produced a new halfpenny pattern by 1790. Fed up with Droz's lacklustre work speed and seemingly endless need for finances, Boulton eventually dismissed Droz who returned to the Paris Mint in 1791.

While the numerous counterfeits were generally traded by the public, it was clear to the government that a real solution needed to be reached. It was at this point that the Privy Council engaged the Soho Mint. Boulton stated that his manufactory could produce coins larger than halfpennies, of fine quality, and impossible to counterfeit, even though no larger denomination had ever been issued in copper, the reason being the difficulty of making lasting dies. The Royal Mint argued in favour of only making farthings and halfpennies. Lewis Pingo, chief-engraver at the Royal Mint, produced pattern pieces for halfpennies in 1788 and 1796. The 1796 piece stands separately from all the other patterns and proofs of this period with a new portrait facing left instead of right.

The Coinage Committee, however, countered, recommending that Soho should be directed to make the larger denominations which they had suggested, pennies and even twopence pieces, so as not to drive the two smaller denominations out of circulation until Soho had proven itself capable of meeting its intentions. To frustrate those in the government who might seek to deny his application, Boulton even went a step further, promising to deliver his coins (for a fee) in casks across the kingdom, whereas the Royal Mint had always provided them to merchants and banks only at the Tower.

Conrad Heinrich Küchler, who worked for the Soho Mint from 1793 until his death in 1810, designed a pattern halfpenny in 1795 with a smallish, cameo head of the king inside a wide rim, decorated with an incuse inscription, which became the soon-to-be-familiar style used by Matthew Boulton to produce copper coins at the Soho Mint in Birmingham. Having repeatedly petitioned the British Treasury during the late 1780s and early 1790s to give him a contract to strike copper coins that would contain nearly their full intrinsic value unlike previous copper coins, the Treasury finally threw in the towel and awarded him a contract in 1797. The result was the creation of the first-ever, now-famous copper penny in 1797, as well as the massive twopence. Minting began in Jun 1797, with the first pennies appearing in Jul 1797 and twopences dated 1797 being released in Jan 1798. All deliveries of the new coins were completed by Aug 1799, all dated 1797.

The twopence and penny pieces introduced into circulation weighed slightly less than 2oz and 1oz troy respectively and became known popularly as the 'cartwheels', both showing a seated figure of Britannia on the reverse. Boulton and Watt's revolutionary machinery could produce these high-quality coins much more efficiently, profitably and to a higher standard of workmanship than that which the Royal Mint's decrepit equipment was capable of. The quality of the striking and the closely matched intrinsic worth made them extremely difficult for counterfeiters to forge. Boulton described in a notebook: "Imitation is one thing. Counterfeiting is another. The finest and most difficult coin that is possible to make may be imitated though not counterfeited." Boulton also produced halfpenny and farthing pattern pieces, struck in the 'cartwheel' style. The old counterfeits and tokens continued to be used, usually downgraded to a lower value, such as a farthing for a coin that had once passed as a halfpenny.

While the new copper pennies were instantly pleasing and impressive, the double-sized twopences seemed mostly to exist as advertisements of Soho's capabilities, yet many entered commerce. The quality of the new coinage was undeniable; the coins were eagerly accepted and used by the public, even the big twopences. However, the widespread hoarding of these beautiful coins, in addition to a price rise in copper which made their intrinsic worth higher than their face value, limited their success as a circulating medium. Also, such heavy and cumbersome coins became unpopular after the novelty had worn off, and most were melted down three years later when the price of copper rose.

At the same time as the last 'cartwheel' delivery was made, the Coinage Committee recommended that Soho should also strike new farthings and halfpennies. Because of the high price of copper, Boulton was allowed to coin these pieces at a slightly less weight with the halfpennies weighing less than half the weight of the 1797 pennies. This issue had different designs and were introduced into circulation in 1799, the striking of twopence and penny pieces not being repeated. A pattern of the farthing was made in 1798 in the cartwheel style, the design of which was adopted but the inscriptions were turned into relief without the wide rim.

As with the 1797 coins, the 1799 pieces proved popular with the public. However, copper continued to rise in cost and by 1805 had reached the unheard-of figure of £165 per ton, £57 more than 1797. With copper at such a high price, large numbers of the 1797 and 1799 copper coins were melted by industrialists seeking a good supply of that metal at a reasonable cost. The resulting loss of copper coins meant that a fresh supply was needed. The Royal Mint was incapable of coining large numbers of copper coins and a new building was underway that would soon house a modern mint capable of such coinage. In the meantime, the Treasury again turned to Matthew Boulton and, in Apr 1805, an order for a renewed copper coinage was placed for penny, halfpenny and farthing coins. No twopence pieces were ordered. The high price of copper dictated lower weights and the penny was now 18.9g (28.3g in 1797), the smaller coins in proportion. Demand for the new copper coins was strong and Boulton received two further orders in Sep 1806 and Sep 1807. Coins were dated 1806 and 1807, no coins being dated 1805. A unique 1808 penny exists.

In all, from 1797 to 1807, Boulton minted 257 million British copper coins, comprising 722,000 twopence, 74.6 million pennies, 171.8 million halfpennies and 10.1 million farthings. Nevertheless, by 1810 shortages of copper coins brought another flurry of local penny and halfpenny token issues. In 1816, now that the war with Napoleon had finally ended, the government finally turned its attention to a long-overdue major currency reform, the 'Great Recoinage' of 1816. By the time new copper coins were required in 1821, the Royal Mint was ready and willing to produce them once again.

[Deeman]

First issue, halfpenny 1770-75

These halfpennies have a diameter between 28.5 and 30mm. The obverse design is a laureate and cuirassed bust of the king facing right within a circumscription, divided by the king's head, translating to 'George III, king'. The reverse has Britannia facing left clothed in clinging drapery, seated on a globe with ornamented shield behind bearing the combined crosses of St George and St Andrew, right hand extended out holding an olive branch, left hand holding spear, left leg extended. The inscription is BRITANNIA divided by the figure of Britannia, date in a double-line exergue.

From 1774 the bust was subject to minor changes. Issues of 1774 have both portraits.




1770 proof halfpenny, en médaille, plain edge.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS· / III·REX·.
Reverse inscription is BRITAN / NIA·.




1770 halfpenny.




1770 silver halfpenny.




1772 halfpenny, GEORIVS error.




1775 halfpenny, 2nd portrait.

[Deeman]

First issue, farthing 1771-75

These farthings have a diameter between 22.5 and 24mm. The design follows the halfpenny but the reverse exergue has a single line. From 1774 the bust was subject to minor changes.




1771 farthing.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS· / III·REX·.
Reverse inscription is BRITAN / NIA·.




1774 farthing, 2nd portrait.




1775 farthing, 2nd portrait.

[Deeman]

Pingo pattern halfpenny 1788
The halfpenny had a diameter of 37mm and weighed 17.7g. The obverse design is a laureate and cuirassed bust of the king facing right within a circumscription translating to 'George III, king'. The reverse has Britannia facing the viewer clothed in drapery, standing with globe to her left and shield to her right, right hand holding an olive branch, left hand holding a downward pointing spear. The inscription is BRITANNIA divided by Britannia's head, date in a double-line exergue.



1788 Pingo pattern halfpenny.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS REX.
Reverse inscription is BRITA / NNIA·.

[Deeman]

Soho Mint, Droz pattern halfpennies

Pattern strikes in 1788 and 1790. Experimental in-house strikes after the departure of Droz are known as late Soho, not to be confused with restrikes by the Victorian coin dealer William Joseph Taylor who purchased many dies at the Soho Mint sale 1850, the Mint having closed in 1848. Having restored many of the dies Taylor pressed them back into service producing restrikes for collectors.

The obverse design is a laureate, long-haired bust of the king facing right within a circumscription, having lozenge stops, translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God, king' and, on the 1790 strikes, ends with a flower stop. The truncation on the 1788 strikes may or may not have raised letters 'DF' (abbreviation of Droz Fecit, from Latin, 'Droz, he made it') whilst the 1790 strikes always have 'DROZ F'. Slight changes to the bust appear in the various strikes such as less hair below bust, and different lengths and shapes in the truncation.



Book plate images of obverse variants.

There are three reverse designs. One has Britannia, robed, seated left on globe, right hand raised holding spear, left holding a garland and resting on a shield with leaves in front, right leg extended with the left at a right angle. The letter 'D' (for Droz) is to the left of the shield on the supporting base. In the exergue are a ship's rudder and palm branch crossed. The inscription is BRITANNIA followed by 1788. A second has Britannia clothed in clinging drapery, left leg is extended and the right bent behind it at right angles. There are no leaves in front of the globe and the letter 'D' is absent. The inscription is BRITANNIA and the date, 1788, in the exergue takes the place of the crossed rudder and palm branch. This is a rare design. The third, specific to the 1790 strikes, has Britannia clothed in clinging drapery, right hand extended out, left hand holding spear and shield, left leg extended with the right across it, laurel branch behind shield, letter 'D' absent. The inscription is BRITANNIA ending with a flower stop, date in the exergue flanked by quatrefoils, letters 'DR·F' (Droz Fecit) in top right of exergue.



Book plate image showing Britannia with left leg extended.

Design variations
Eagle's head above a thunderbolt below bust on some 1788 strikes.
Plain edge.
Edge inscription RENDER TO CESAR THE THINGS WHICH ARE CESARS, either raised or incuse.
Edge with guilloche pattern.
Gilt and electro-plated finishes, experiments by the mintmasters at Birmingham.
The 'U' in the king's name on the patterns of 1788 is changed into a 'V' on those of 1790.




1788 Droz pattern halfpenny.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIUS III ◊ D ◊ G ◊ REX ◊, no lettering on truncation.
Reverse inscription is BRITANNIA ◊ 1788 ◊, right leg extended, leaves in front of globe, letter 'D' left of shield.




1788 Droz pattern gilt halfpenny.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIUS III ◊ D ◊ G ◊ REX, 'DF' on truncation.
Reverse inscription is BRITANNIA ◊ 1788 ◊, right leg extended, leaves in front of globe, letter 'D' left of shield.




1788 Droz pattern silver-plated halfpenny. Late Soho.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIUS III ◊ D ◊ G ◊ REX, 'DF' on truncation.
Reverse inscription is BRITANNIA ◊ 1788 ◊, right leg extended, leaves in front of globe, letter 'D' left of shield.




1790 Droz pattern brown gilt halfpenny, coated lightly in gold powder, found dull and abandoned.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS III ◊ D ◊ G ◊ REX, flower after REX, 'DROZ F' on truncation.
Reverse inscription is BRITANNIA with flower after, right leg over left, laurel behind shield, 'DR·F' in exergue.




1790 Droz pattern bronzed halfpenny.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS III ◊ D ◊ G ◊ REX, flower after REX, 'DROZ F' on truncation.
Reverse inscription is BRITANNIA with flower after, right leg over left, laurel behind shield, 'DR·F' in exergue.




1788 Droz halfpenny trial mule.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIUS III ◊ D ◊ G ◊ REX ◊, 'DROZ F' on truncation, eagle's head above thunderbolt below bust.
Reverse no inscription. Britannia, naked, seated left on globe, right leg over left, holding sceptre and plain shield, right arm outstretched, plain paddle behind shield. Maybe model for the engraver.




1790 Droz double-reverse halfpenny trial mule.
One reverse with no inscription. Britannia, naked, seated left on globe, right leg over left, holding sceptre and plain shield, right arm outstretched, plain paddle behind shield.
Second reverse with inscription ·BRITANNIA· with flower either end, Britannia in drapery, seated left on globe, right leg over left, holding sceptre and shield, right arm outstretched, paddle behind shield, 1790 in exergue with DROZ upper left and DROZ INV below date.

[Deeman]

Soho Mint, 1795 pattern halfpenny

Heavy flan (14.1g) approximating to ½oz troy. This coin is a forerunner of the soon-to-be-familiar style of Boulton's copper coinage.

The obverse design is a laureate, long-haired bust of the king facing right inside a wide rim having an incuse circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God, king' and SOHO displayed beneath the bust. The reverse has Britannia facing left seated on a globe within another wide rim fashioned at its bottom into a cartouche suggestive of a ship's prow. Britannia is clothed in clinging drapery, right hand extended out, left hand holding a spear and shield, left leg extended with the right across it, laurel branch behind shield. The incuse rim inscription is BRITANNIA with flower either end, date in the exergue.




1795 Küchler pattern light bronzed halfpenny.
Obverse incuse inscription is GEORGIUS III·D:G·REX, flower after REX, SOHO on rim below bust.
Reverse incuse inscription is BRITANNIA with flower before and after, 1795 in exergue with quatrefoil after.




1795 Küchler pattern gilt halfpenny, as above but pellet after date.

[Deeman]

Pingo pattern halfpenny 1796

Lightweight flan (<6g) with new portrait of king facing left instead of right and first to use DEI GRATIA for almost a century. Only three examples known.

The obverse design is a laureate and cuirassed long-haired bust of the king facing left within a circumscription, divided by the king's head, translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God'. The reverse has Britannia facing left clothed in clinging drapery, seated on a globe with shield behind, right hand extended out holding an olive branch, left hand holding spear, left leg extended. The inscription is BRITANNIA divided by the figure of Britannia, date in the exergue.



1796 Pingo pattern halfpenny.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS III / DEI GRATIA.
Reverse inscription is BRITAN / NIA with pellet after.

[Deeman]

Second issue, Soho Mint, twopence 1797

Along with the penny, this was the first copper coinage issued for circulation since 1775 and the first copper twopence. They were struck 1797-99, but are all dated 1797 and became known popularly as 'cartwheels' due to their size. The mintage was 722,972. The twopence had a diameter of 41mm and weighed 56.7g, just short of 2oz troy. Adding an allowance for the cost of production equates the weight to 2oz troy. Two ounces troy is equivalent to 62.2g.

From the early 1800s to 1816 there was a steady demand for specimens. As Boulton owned the dies he was quite willing to satisfy and produced varieties known as 'late' Soho strikes. Not to be confused with restrikes by the Victorian coin dealer William Joseph Taylor who purchased many dies at the Soho Mint sale 1850, the Mint having closed in 1848. Having restored many of the dies Taylor pressed them back into service producing restrikes for collectors.

The obverse design is a laureate, draped bust of the king facing right inside a wide rim having an incuse circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God, king'. The initial 'K' (for Küchler) is on the lowest fold of the drapery. The reverse has Britannia within another wide rim facing left sitting on a rock next to a shield with waves surrounding her, clothed in drapery, right hand extended out holding an olive branch, left hand holding a trident, three-masted warship on horizon to left. The incuse rim inscription is BRITANNIA above and 1797 below. SOHO can be seen in the waves below the shield. It was also the first coin to be struck with Britannia holding a trident as opposed to a spear.




1797 Küchler pattern bronzed twopence.
Obverse incuse inscription is GEORGIUS III·D: G·REX·.
Reverse incuse inscription is BRITANNIA above and 1797 below, no SOHO.




1797 twopence.




1797 silver twopence, thin flan, late Soho.




1797 gold-plated twopence, late Soho.

[Deeman]

Second issue, Soho Mint, penny 1797

Along with the twopence, this was the first copper coinage issued for circulation since 1775 and the first copper penny. They were struck 1797-99, but are all dated 1797 and became known popularly as 'cartwheels' due to their size. The mintage was 43,969,204. Pennies had a diameter of 36mm and weighed 28.3g, just short of 1oz troy. Adding an allowance for the cost of production equates weights to 1oz troy. One ounce troy is equivalent to 31.1g. The design is the same as the twopence and, as with the twopence, 'late' Soho strikes exist.



There are two penny varieties, one with 10 leaves on the laurel wreath, the other with 11 leaves.




1797 Küchler pattern bronzed penny, large laureate not adopted.
Obverse incuse inscription is GEORGIUS III·D: G·REX. Undraped bust, 'K' on truncation.
Reverse incuse inscription is BRITANNIA with flower before and after, 1797 in exergue. Britannia is helmeted with bare left breast, holding a trident in outstretched right hand, and shield and olive branch in left, 'K' under shield, SOHO in olive branch tie below date.




1797 Küchler pattern bronzed penny, small laureate adopted.
Obverse incuse inscription is GEORGIUS III·D: G·REX, 10 leaves on wreath.
Reverse incuse inscription is BRITANNIA above and 1797 below.




1797 penny, 10 leaves on wreath first coin, 11 leaves second (two at bottom).




1797 gilt penny, 10 leaves on wreath.



1797 silver penny, thin flan, late Soho.
10 leaves on wreath, most of the leaves on olive branch detached.




1797 gold-plated penny, 10 leaves on wreath, late Soho.




1797 gold penny, thin 2.5mm flan, weight 39g, late Soho.
10 leaves on wreath, most of the leaves on olive branch detached.
Probably a special presentation made on order of Boulton. Maybe given to a MP or a member the Coinage Committee or to someone within the royal family. Provenance unknown, only two exist.

[Deeman]

Soho Mint, 1797 pattern halfpenny

The halfpenny had a diameter of 30mm and weighed 14.15g. The design followed the twopence and penny 'cartwheel' issues.




1797 Küchler pattern bronzed halfpenny.
Obverse incuse inscription is GEORGIUS III·D: G·REX, 10 leaves on wreath.
Reverse incuse inscription is BRITANNIA above and 1797 below.




1797 Küchler pattern gilt proof halfpenny.




1797 silver halfpenny, thin flan, late Soho.

[Deeman]

Soho Mint, 1797 pattern farthing

The farthing had a diameter of 25mm and weighed 7.1g. The design followed the twopence and penny 'cartwheel' issues.




1797 Küchler pattern farthing.
Obverse incuse inscription is GEORGIUS III·D: G·REX, 10 leaves on wreath.
Reverse incuse inscription is BRITANNIA above and 1797 below.




1797 Küchler pattern gilt proof farthing, no SOHO.




1797 silver farthing, thin flan, late Soho.

[Deeman]

Soho Mint, 1797 gilt 4-coin presentation set



Twopence, penny, pattern halfpenny and pattern farthing. Supplied fitted in a tapered red shagreen covered wooden box.