George III English Coinage

Started by Deeman, August 17, 2022, 07:58:18 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Deeman

George III

George III was the third Hanoverian king of Great Britain. His long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdoms, much of the rest of Europe, and places farther afield in Africa, the Americas and Asia. He suffered from recurrent fits of madness and after 1810, his son acted as regent.

George III was born on 4 June 1738 in London, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. He became heir to the throne when his father died in 1751, succeeding his grandfather George II on 25 Oct 1760. He was the first Hanoverian monarch to use English as his first language. In 1761, George married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and enjoyed a happy marriage.

George chose his mentor the Earl of Bute as his first chief minister. He was a poor choice, isolating George from senior politicians. Effective government became almost impossible and George was increasingly vilified. The instability following Bute's resignation in 1763 did little to solve the crown's financial difficulties, made worse by the Seven Years' War. In 1770, George appointed Lord North as his first minister. Although an effective administrator, North's government was dominated by disagreements with the American colonists over British attempts to levy taxes on them. War began in 1775 and was prolonged in 1779, at the king's insistence, to prevent copycat protests elsewhere. The British defeat in 1781 which led to the establishment of the USA prompted North to resign. A further series of wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France, over a 20-year period, finally concluded in the defeat of Napoleon in 1815.

In 1783, North and the prominent Whig politician Fox formed a coalition government. Their plans to reform the East India Company gave George the chance to regain popularity. He forced the bill's defeat in Parliament, and the two resigned. In their place George appointed William Pitt the Younger. The combination of Pitt's skill and war with France in 1793 strengthened George's position, but disagreements over emancipation of the Catholics - Pitt was in favour and George vehemently opposed - led to Pitt's resignation in 1801.

The American war, its political aftermath and family quarrels put great strain on George. After serious bouts of illness in 1788/9 and 1801, thought now to be caused by porphyria, he became permanently deranged in 1810. The Prince of Wales (later George IV) became regent.

George remained ill until his death at Windsor Castle on 29 Jan 1820. On 1 Jan 1801, under the Act of Union, Great Britain and Ireland were united into a single nation - the United Kingdom. George was thus the first king of the new nation. He was concurrently Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and prince-elector of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire until his promotion to King of Hanover on 12 Oct 1814.

Deeman

English coinages

Gold, silver and copper specimens exist in metals other than their normal currency issue. Images of such examples are entered under the metal appropriate for their respective denominations.

Pre-recoinage denominations

Gold

1st issue 1761-86: guinea, half-guinea, quarter-guinea.
T. Pingo pattern copper guinea 1781.
Pattern two guineas 1768-77.
Pattern five guineas 1770-77.
Pattern third-guinea 1775/76.
L. Pingo pattern guinea 1787.
2nd issue 1787-1800: spade guinea, spade half-guinea, third-guinea.
Soho Mint 1791 & 98: Droz and Küchler pattern guineas.
Milton pattern guinea 1798.
3rd issue 1801-13 (post Union with Ireland): half-guinea, third-guinea.
T. Wyon square shield pattern guinea 1813.
T. Wyon floral shield pattern guinea 1813.
'Military' guinea issue 1813.
Curio, Mills 'petition' copper guinea/sovereign 1816 (undated).

Silver

First small silver issue 1762-86: fourpence, threepence, twopence, penny.
Early shillings 1763-78.
Bank of England funded 1787 issue: shilling, sixpence.
Soho Mint 1788-91 Droz pattern sixpence.
Second small silver issue 1792: fourpence, threepence, twopence, penny.
Third small silver issue 1795 & 1800: fourpence, threepence, twopence, penny.
Emergency issue, Bank of England 1797 oval countermarks: dollar, half-dollar, quarter-dollar (unlisted).
Milton pattern shilling 1798.
Embargoed 'Dorrien and Magens' shilling 1798.
Emergency issue, Bank of England 1804 octagonal countermarks: dollar, half-dollar.
Emergency issue, Bank of England 1804 Küchler pattern dollar.
Emergency issue, Bank of England 1804 dollars.
Emergency issue, Bank of England 1811 Küchler pattern 5/6d token.
Emergency issue, Bank of England 1811 John Phillp pattern 5/6d token.
Emergency issue, Bank of England 1811-16 tokens: 3 shillings, 18 pence, 9 pence (1812 pattern).

Copper

1st issue 1770-75: halfpenny, farthing.
L. Pingo pattern halfpenny 1788.
Soho Mint 1788 and 90 Droz pattern halfpenny.
Soho Mint 1795 Küchler pattern halfpenny.
L. Pingo pattern halfpenny 1796.
2nd issue 1797 Soho Mint: twopence, penny.
Soho Mint 1797 Küchler patterns: halfpenny and farthing.
Soho Mint 1798 Küchler pattern farthing.
Soho Mint 1799 Küchler pattern halfpenny.
3rd issue 1799 Soho Mint: halfpenny, farthing.
Soho Mint 1805 Küchler patterns: penny, halfpenny.
4th issue 1806/07 Soho Mint: penny, halfpenny, farthing.
Soho Mint unique 1808 penny.

Recoinage denominations

Gold

T. Wyon 1816 patterns: sovereign, half-sovereign.
Recoinage issue 1817-20: sovereign, half-sovereign.
Pistrucci 1820 patterns: five pounds, two pounds.
W. Wyon 1820 pattern half-sovereign.

Silver

Recoinage issue 1816-20: crown, halfcrown, shilling, sixpence, fourpence, threepence, twopence, penny.
T. Wyon 1817 pattern halfcrown.
W. Wyon 1817 patterns: 'Three Graces' crown, shield crown.

Deeman

Gold Overview

On 27 Mar 1663 Charles II declared the guinea to be the official means of payment. The guinea got its name from Guinea in Africa where much of the gold was mined. The guinea was originally intended to be a 20/- or one pound piece. However, its actual value fluctuated due to its relationship with the value of silver and this saw the guinea's value rise to as much as 30/-. In 1717 its value was fixed at 21/-.

George III struck gold guineas and half-guineas on a somewhat regular basis to 1799. In 1774 almost 20 million worn guineas of William III and Anne were melted down and recoined as guineas and half-guineas. Third-guineas were added between 1797 and 1813, with a quarter-guinea appearing as a one-issue strike in 1762. The third-guineas were supposedly struck to fill the growing demand for small change. Such a large sum to the common worker, the practicality of third-guinea pieces for marketplace transactions must be questionable. The guinea range and its fractions comprised six different obverses and three reverses.

Five- and two-guinea pieces in general had only a limited circulation, but still some had been issued in every reign since the establishment of milled money down to that of George III, when only patterns of such pieces were made in three different years.

Towards the end of the century gold began to become scarce and rise in value. The French Revolution and the subsequent French Revolutionary Wars had drained gold reserves and people started hoarding coins. Parliament passed a law that made banknotes legal tender in any amount, and in 1799 the production of guineas was halted, although half- and third-guineas continued to be struck. Following the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland in 1800, the king's titles changed, and an Order in Council of 5 Nov 1800 directed the Master of the Mint to prepare a new coinage, but although designs were prepared, the production of one-guinea pieces was not authorised. In 1801 the king relinquished his claim on the French throne and the legend on the reverse was altered to reflect this together with the removal of the Hanoverian arms from the coat of arms.

In 1813 it was necessary to strike 80,000 guineas to pay the Duke of Wellington's army in the Pyrenees, as the local people would accept only gold in payment. This issue became known as the Military Guinea. At this time, gold was still scarce and the guinea was trading on the open market for 27/- in paper money, so the coining of this issue for the army's special needs was a poor deal for the government. This was the last issue of guineas to be minted.

After the guinea coin ceased to circulate, the guinea continued in use as a unit of account worth 21/-. The guinea had an aristocratic overtone, so professional fees, and prices of land, horses, art, bespoke tailoring, furniture, white goods and other luxury items were often quoted in guineas until a couple of years after decimalisation in 1971.

In 1816, with the war with Napoleon finally ended, the government turned its attention to a long-overdue major currency reform, the 'Great Recoinage', a currency based on the pound system, which became firmly established by the time of the king's death in 1820.

The 5 Jul 1817 witnessed the birth of the sovereign (pound), the guinea's replacement. The design of St George slaying the dragon design was chosen, the dragon being slayed by a lance shown broken in the battle. The lance was replaced in 1820 with a sword on five- and two-pound pattern pieces, and on all sovereign issues after George III's death, but the broken part of the lance has never been removed and can still be seen laying on the ground to the left of the dragon.

Deeman

First issue, guinea 1761-86

Fineness 22ct, diameter 25mm, weight 8.4g, milled edge. Struck in 1761 (first bust), 1763/64 (second bust), 1756-73 (third bust), 1774-1786 except 1780 (fourth bust). Patterns of 1761 and 1763 are struck en médaille and have a plain edge. Engravers obverse/reverse: first & second bust issues Richard Yeo/John Tanner; third & fourth bust issues Thomas Pingo/John Tanner.

The obverse design is a laureate, long curly-haired bust of the king facing right within a circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God'. The reverse design is a crowned garnished Shield of Arms with date either side of crown. The first quarter of the shield has the lions of England impaled with the Scottish lion, the lis of France are in the second, the harp of Ireland in the third and the Arms of the House of Hanover in the fourth. The abbreviated circumscription around the shield translates to 'King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, High Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire'. The abbreviated Latin in full reads Magnae Britanniae Franciae ET Hiberniae Rex Fidei Defensor Brun ET Lünebergen Dux Sacri Romani Imperii Archi-Thesaurarius ET Elector.





1761 pattern guinea, en médaille, plain edge, obverse not adopted.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS·III / ·DEI·GRATIA·, young bust.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.





1761 guinea, 1st bust, two leaves at top of wreath.





1761 guinea, 1st bust, three leaves at top of wreath.





1763 pattern guinea, en médaille, plain edge, not adopted.





1763 guinea, 2nd bust.





1770 guinea, 3rd bust.





1776 guinea, 4th bust.

Deeman

1781 Pingo pattern copper guinea

Struck on a 22mm flan, engraved by Thomas Pingo, laureate head right of the fourth bust style, inscription reads same as the currency guinea but surrounds bust design more. Reverse as currency issue.



1781 Pingo pattern copper guinea, 4th bust style.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS·III·DEI·GRATIA·.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.

Deeman

First issue, half-guinea 1762-86

Fineness 22ct, diameter 20mm, weight 4.2g, milled edge. Struck in 1762/63 (first bust), 1764-69 except 67 and 1772-75 (second bust), 1774/75 (third bust), 1775-1786 except 1780 (fourth bust). The design follows the guinea.





1762 pattern half-guinea, en médaille, plain edge, obverse not adopted.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS·III·DEI·GRATIA·, young bust.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.





1762 proof half-guinea, 1st bust.





1774 guinea, 2nd bust.





1775 guinea, 3rd bust.





1785 half guinea, 4th bust.

Deeman

First issue, quarter-guinea 1762

Fineness 22ct, diameter 15.4mm, weight 2.1g, milled edge. One-year strike 1762. The design follows the guinea.



1762 quarter-guinea.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS·III·DEI·GRATIA·, young bust.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.

Deeman

Pattern two guineas

Struck in 1768, 1773 and 1777, en médaille with plain edge. Fineness 22ct, diameter 32mm, weight 16.8g. Same design as the guinea.





1768 pattern two guineas.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS· / III DEI·GRA·, young bust.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.





1777 pattern two guineas, thinner young bust.

Deeman

Pattern five guineas

Struck in 1770, 1773 and 1777, en médaille with plain edge. Fineness 22ct, diameter 37mm, weight 42g. Same design as the guinea.





1773 pattern five guineas.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS·III / DEI·GRATIA·, young bust.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.





1777 pattern five guineas, intermediate bust, hair extends under bust.

Deeman

Pattern third-guinea 1775/76

Patterns for the third-guinea had been made in 1775 and 76, but none were issued for circulation until 1797. Fineness 22ct, diameter 17mm, weight 2.8g, plain edge.

The obverse design is a laureate bust of the king facing right, curls extending below truncation within a circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God'. The reverse design is crowned lion passant standing over an ornate large crown, date divided by the lion's head. The abbreviated circumscription, which is a continuation from the obverse, translates to 'King of Great Britain, France and Ireland'.





1775 pattern third-guinea, not adopted.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS·III DEI·GRATIA·.
Reverse inscription is ·MAG·BRI·FR·ET·HIB·REX.





1776 pattern third-guinea, not adopted.

Deeman

Pingo 1787 pattern guinea

Engraved by Lewis Pingo. The obverse design is a laureate bust of the king facing right within a circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God'. The reverse design is a circular Shield of Arms enclosed by the Order of the Garter belt and motto HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (Shame on he who thinks evil). The first quarter of the shield has the lions of England impaled with the Scottish lion, the lis of France are in the second, the harp of Ireland in the third and the Arms of the House of Hanover in the fourth. The king's titles and the date encircle the Garter. The abbreviated circumscription translates to 'King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, High Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire', with 1787 in the gap at the bottom of the Garter. The abbreviated Latin in full reads Magnae Britanniae Franciae ET Hiberniae Rex Fidei Defensor Brun ET Lünebergen Dux Sacri Romani Imperii Archi-Thesaurarius ET Elector.



1787 Pingo pattern guinea, borders engrailed, plain edge, not adopted.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA·.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.

Deeman

Second issue, guinea 1787-99

Fineness 22ct, diameter 25mm, weight 8.4g, en médaille, milled edge. Struck in 1787-99 (fifth bust).
A proof issue of 1787 with a plain edge was funded by the Bank of England along with proofs of the half-guinea, shilling and sixpence. Lewis Pingo struck 168 four-coin groups distributed as follows: 100 for the directors of the Bank of England, 18 for higher ranking officers, 38 for Royal Mint officials and 12 for the Company of Moneyers.

The obverse design is a laureate bust of the king facing right within a circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God'. The reverse design is a crowned spade-shaped Shield of Arms. The first quarter of the shield has the lions of England impaled with the Scottish lion, the lis of France are in the second, the harp of Ireland in the third and the Arms of the House of Hanover in the fourth. The abbreviated circumscription around the shield translates to 'King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, High Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire', with the date in the gap at the bottom of the shield. The abbreviated Latin in full reads Magnae Britanniae Franciae ET Hiberniae Rex Fidei Defensor Brun ET Lünebergen Dux Sacri Romani Imperii Archi-Thesaurarius ET Elector.





1787 guinea, milled edge.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA·.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.





1787 Bank of England proof guinea, plain edge.

Deeman

Second issue, half-guinea 1787-1800

Fineness 22ct, diameter 20mm, weight 4.2g, en médaille, milled edge. Struck in 1787-1800 (fifth bust). Design is the same as the second issue guinea.

A proof issue of 1787 with a plain edge was funded by the Bank of England along with proofs of the guinea, shilling and sixpence. Lewis Pingo struck 168 four-coin groups distributed as follows: 100 for the directors of the Bank of England, 18 for higher ranking officers, 38 for Royal Mint officials and 12 for the Company of Moneyers.





1787 half-guinea, milled edge.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA·.
Reverse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.





1787 Bank of England proof half-guinea, plain edge.

Deeman

Second issue, third-guinea 1797-1800

Fineness 22ct, diameter 17mm, weight 2.8g, en médaille, milled edge. Struck in 1797-1800 (first bust).
The obverse design is a laureate bust of the king facing right within a circumscription translating to 'George III, by the Grace of God'. The reverse design is a large crown with an abbreviated circumscription, running southwest to southeast, translating to 'King of Great Britain, France and Ireland' with the date in the gap.



1800 third-guinea.
Obverse inscription is GEORGIVS·III DEI·GRATIA·.
Reverse inscription is ·MAG·BRI·FR·ET·HIB·REX.

Deeman

Soho Mint 1791 and 98 pattern guineas

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'. The initials CHK are on the lower drapery. The reverse design is a crowned spade-shaped Shield of Arms. An abbreviated incuse circumscription around the shield translates to 'King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, High Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire', with date in the gap at the bottom of the shield. The abbreviated Latin in full reads Magnae Britanniae Franciae ET Hiberniae Rex Fidei Defensor Brun ET Lünebergen Dux Sacri Romani Imperii Archi-Thesaurarius ET Elector.





1791 Droz pattern guinea, en médaille, plain edge, not adopted.
Obverse incuse inscription is GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA, floral design at the bottom.
Reverse incuse inscription is ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·.





1798 Küchler pattern guinea, en médaille, plain edge, not adopted.





1798 Küchler trial copper guinea. Struck en médaille on flan weighing 6.1g.





1798 Küchler trial gilt copper guinea, en médaille.





1791 and 98 double-reverse bronzed copper guinea trial mule. Struck en médaille on thick flan weighing 7.5g.
Each side has a similar design but vary in both crown and shield detail, and the size of the lettering in the circumscriptions. The 1798 side is by Küchler with the 1791 side's attribution to Droz.