British Coins

• British Coins 1765
• British Coins Value
• British Coins Shield
• British Coins In Circulation

('Coins of the UK')

by Tony Clayton

Main Indexes

Other Information on this page includes:

The standard circulating coinage of the United Kingdom, British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories is denominated in pounds sterling (symbol '£'), and, since the introduction of the two-pound coin in 1994 (issued to celebrate the Bank of England's 300th anniversary), ranges in value from one penny to two pounds. British coins are primarily struck at the sovereign The Royal Mint, although the Pobjoy Mint strikes coins for some of the country’s overseas territories. Coin value - $80-100. 1 penny 1806 (1806-1807) copper BRITANNIA / Britannia seated left GEORGIVS III D G REX / 1806 / Laureate head right Coin value - $3-4. 1/2 penny 1807 (1806-1807) copper BRITANNIA / Britannia seated left GEORGIVS IIII D G REX / 1807 / Laureate head right Coin value - $1-3. 1 farthing 1806 (1806-1807) copper.

• Orientation of the reverse of the coin, or why is the back of the coin upside-down?

Introduction

This is a series of pages dealing with the history of individualdenominations used in England since the Norman Conquest or, in thecase of the penny, a little earlier.

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided,and extensive research has been carried out to this end. However, I will not and cannot accept liability for the consequences of any decisions made by readers of this site.

Please note that the copyright on these web pages remains with the author.Please do not post copies of pages found on this web site elsewhere on the webwithout specific authorisation from the author, as the frequent updates wouldrender the copies obsolete very quickly. However, please feel free topost links to the site if you think it is appropriate.

If you wish to download these web pages for personal use only, you are welcometo do so. If you later want to update them, check withthe version numbers in the main index on this page as given below (e.g. v12). The dates of the latest version are given in UK format (dd/mm/yy).

Site Organisation

This site is www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk, having recently been transferredfrom the old site at www.tclayton.demon.co.uk. It wasnot intended to move the site, but restrictions imposed byDemon have forced me to move it elsewhere, as had already happened with the pictures pages on what is now a redundant site - www.ukcoinpics.co.uk.The two sites are now merged back together again.

There are three main sets of pages dealing with the coins of the United Kingdom.

1. The History Pages which detail the history of the individual denominationsused since before the Norman Conquest. The Main Index for these is on this page. There are links to the relevant Values and Pictures pages on each of the History Pages.With hammered gold coins (such as the Angel) the changes of value over time do create a problem; they arereferred to under each value that they had, with links taking you from one value to the next.The Decimal Coins pages detail the history ofthe change to decimal coinage in 1971, and the coins issued since that time, and are now integrated intothe main History Pages section.
2. The Values Pages, which detail the values of individual coins in a range of condition gradessince the introduction of Milled coins during the Commonwealth. There is a Values Index Page on http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/values which will help you find the value of your coins. There are links to the relevant History and Pictures pages on each of the Values pages.
3. The Pictures Pages. These were hosted on my alternative siteat http://www.ukcoinpics.co.uk, although that site has been mothballed, and has been merged back ontothis site. Pictures are confined to the pages in the picture section as the rest of the site is designed to be read easily and rapidly byreaders using any type of software and communication link, without expectingthat the viewer has the very latest software.However, links to many images can be found on the History pages.There are links to the relevant History and Values pages on each of the Pictures pages.

Enquiries

Before mailing the author to ask about the value of your coins, first try to judge their conditionusing the Grading Information below, and then look up your coinson the Values of UK Coins pages. This may answer your questionwithout adding to the several messages per day that the author receives on the subject.

If you wish to ask for advice, please try to look through this site first, but if you cannot findthe information you want feel free to contact the authorvia the Advice page. Ensurethat your Reply-To address is correct, as I delete all messages immediately afterreplying. I do answer all non-spam e-mails received, so if you do not get a reply withina couple of weeks, try again.

If the information is readily available on the site, I will refer you to the appropriate pagein the hope that this will assist you to find further similar information yourself.

If there is a problem with any aspect of the site design, such as faulty links, please contact the authorvia the Advice page.

Die Numbers

Some Victorian silver and gold coins have die numbers. I have compiled a listof those known to exist which is almost certainly not complete. If you have such a coincheck the die number on this page and let me know if you have one thatis not recorded. If outside the known range of numbers please send me a clear image of both sides of the coinfor confirmation.

History of Coins of the UK Pages
Index by Denomination

If you are unsure of the denomination, measure the coin's diameter in millimetresand visit the Size Index.

1. Fractional Farthings v33 04/03/15
2. The Farthing v50 04/03/15
3. The Halfpenny v49 04/03/15
4. Three Farthings v25 04/03/15
5. The Penny v69 04/03/15
6. The Penny-Halfpenny v30 04/03/15
7. The Two Pence v33 04/03/15
8. The Three Pence v38 14/02/20
9. The Four Pence or Groat v39 04/03/15
10. The Sixpence v37 02/12/18
11. The Shilling v45 03/04/18
12. 18 and 20 Pence v22 04/03/15
13. The Florin, or Two Shillings v28 04/03/15
14. Thirty Pence - Half Crown v38 29/03/16
15. Three Shillings, 40d and 45d v26 04/03/15
16. Four Shillings, 50d and 4s6d v26 04/03/15
17. Five Shillings (or Crown), 5s3d and 5s6d v45 13/01/18
18. Six Shillings and 6s8d v26 04/03/15
19. Seven Shillings and 7s6d v26 04/03/15
20. Eight Shillings and 8s4d v19 04/03/15
21. Ten Shillings and 10s6d (including the Half Sovereign and Half Guinea) v29 04/03/15
22. Fifteen Shillings v21 04/03/15
23. One Pound (Sovereign) or Guinea v44 19/02/20
24. Thirty Shillings v20 04/03/15
25. Two Pounds or Guineas v24 24/03/15
26. Fifty and Sixty Shillings v19 04/03/15
27. Five Pounds or Guineas v26 04/03/15
28. Maundy Coins v15 04/03/15
29. Decimal Coins and Decimalisation v146 04/03/15
30. The Decimal Half Penny v15 23/03/15
31. The Decimal One Penny v38 24/06/19
32. The Decimal Two Pence v30 24/06/19
33. The Decimal Five Pence v36 24/06/19
34. The Decimal Ten Pence v38 24/06/19
35. The Decimal Twenty Pence v32 24/06/19
36. The Decimal Fifty Pence v60 14/02/20
37. The Decimal One Pound v47 24/06/19
38. The Decimal Two Pounds v60 03/09/20
39. The Decimal Crowns (25 pence and Five Pounds) v71 03/09/20
40. Post-1971 Gold and Bullion Coins v34 13/01/17
41. Proof Sets v20 04/03/15

A list of what changes were made in the past year or so can be found here.

UK Coin Values

There is a similar series of pages dealing with just the Valuesof UK Coins, including access to a CSV File suitable forloading into your favourite database or spreadsheet. This file has an exhaustive list ofall years and denominations and includes major varieties and many proof coins.

For more extensive value information I suggest you purchase The Coin Yearbook fromToken Publishing Ltd, 40 Southernhay East, Exeter, EX1 1PE, UK,to whom I am indebted for their permission to use the values information published in their magazineCoin News and their Coin Yearbook.

These values pages can also be accessed directly from the descriptive pages in the list above.

Coins in gold and silver have an intrinsic metal value which can exceed anynumismatic value. A new page on bullion values is now available.

History of Coins of the UK Pages
Index by Metal and Size

As many UK coins do not have a denomination on them, especially prior to the 20th century,the following gives an index by diameter and weight for Milled coins only. Bear in mind that coins from the 18th Century and earlier show significant variations bothin diameter and weight from issue to issue. Hammered coins show far too much variationfor them to be indexed in this way.

Milled coins are those produced on a machine press, and have a regular size. This processbecame standard around the time of Charles II in the middle of the 17th century. Prior to thatcoins were made by hand hammering, and as there was no collar the size of the coin wasirregular. The term milled is also applied to the lines on the edge of the machine-made coinswhich were introduced to prevent the practice of clipping silver or gold from round theedge. These lines can be either perpendicular, angled or chevroned, or even in the form of a recessedline around the edge. Higher denominations sometimes have lettered edges.

The term 'Early' as used in the list below generally means pre-1816. Such coins show variationsaround the figure given.

• Copper, Bronze or Copper-plated Steel
  • 13.5 mm 1.2 g Quarter Farthing
  • 15.0 mm 1.0 g Bronze Third Farthing
  • 16.0 mm 1.5 g Copper Third Farthing
  • 17.1 mm 1.8 g Decimal Half Penny
  • 18.0 mm 2.4 g Copper Half Farthing
  • 20.0 mm 2.8 g Bronze Farthing
  • 20.3 mm 3.6 g Decimal Penny
  • 22.0 mm 4.7 g Copper Farthing
  • 22.0 mm 5.0 g Early Copper Farthing
  • 23.0 mm 6.0 g 1799 Farthing
  • 25.0 mm 5.7 g Bronze Halfpenny
  • 25.9 mm 7.1 g Decimal Two Pence
  • 28.0 mm 9.3 g Copper Halfpenny
  • 29.0 mm 10.0 g Early Copper Halfpenny
  • 30.5 mm 12.5 g 1799 Copper Halfpenny
  • 31.0 mm 9.4 g Bronze Penny
  • 34.0 mm 18.8 g Copper Penny
  • 36.0 mm 28.3 g 1797 Penny
  • 41.0 mm 57 g 1797 Two Pence
• Brass
  • 21.0 mm 6.8 g Three Pence
  • 22.5 mm 9.5 g Decimal One Pound (1983-2016)
  • 28.4 mm 16.0 g Decimal Two Pounds (Commemorative)
• Brass/Cupronickel Bimetallic
  • 23.4 mm 8.75 g Decimal One Pound (2017 onwards)
  • 28.4 mm 12.0 g Decimal Two Pounds (Circulation issue)
• Silver, Cupronickel, or Nickel-plated Steel
  • 11.0 mm 0.5 g Maundy Penny
  • 12.0 mm 0.5 g Early Maundy Penny
  • 12.0 mm 0.7 g The Penny-Halfpenny
  • 13.0 mm 0.9 g Maundy Two Pence
  • 14.0 mm 1.0 g Early Maundy Two Pence
  • 16.0 mm 1.4 g Three Pence
  • 16.0 mm 1.9 g Four Pence or Groat
  • 17.0 mm 1.5 g Early Three Pence
  • 18.0 mm 1.9 g Maundy Four Pence
  • 18.0 mm 3.3 g Decimal Five Pence (small)
  • 19.0 mm 2.0 g Early Maundy Four Pence
  • 19.0 mm 2.8 g Sixpence
  • 21.0 mm 3.0 g Early Sixpence
  • 21.4 mm 5.0 g Decimal Twenty Pence
  • 24.0 mm 5.7 g Shilling
  • 24.0 mm 5.7 g Decimal Five Pence (large)
  • 24.5 mm 6.5 g Decimal Ten Pence (small)
  • 25.5 mm 6.0 g Early Shilling
  • 27.0 mm 7.4 g 18 Pence
  • 27.3 mm 8.0 g Decimal Fifty Pence (small)
  • 28.0 mm 11.3 g 1849 Godless Florin
  • 28.5 mm 11.3 g The Florin, or Two Shillings
  • 28.5 mm 11.3 g Decimal Ten Pence (large)
  • 29.5 mm 11.3 g Jubilee Florin
  • 30.0 mm 11.3 g Gothic Florin
  • 30.0 mm 13.5 g Decimal Fifty Pence (large)
  • 32.0 mm 14.1 g Half Crown
  • 34.0 mm 15.0 g Early Half Crown
  • 35.0 mm 15.0 g Three Shillings
  • 36.0 mm 22.6 g Four Shillings
  • 39.0 mm 28.3 g Five Shillings (or Crown) - dated before 1970
  • 39.0 mm 28.3 g Decimal 25 pence (or Crown) - dated between 1971 and 1984
  • 39.0 mm 28.3 g Decimal 5 pounds - dated after 1985
  • 39.0 mm 30.0 g Early Five Shillings (or Crown)
• Gold
  • 13.5 mm 2.0 g Quarter Sovereign
  • 16.0 mm 2.1 g Quarter Guinea
  • 17.0 mm 2.8 g Third Guinea
  • 19.0 mm 4.0 g Half Sovereign
  • 20.0 mm 4.2 g Half Guinea
  • 22.0 mm 8.0 g Sovereign
  • 25.0 mm 8.4 g One Guinea
  • 28.0 mm 16.0 g Two Pounds
  • 31.5 mm 16.8 g Two Guineas
  • 37.0 mm 40.0 g Five Pounds
  • 37.0 mm 41.9 g Five Guineas
  • 38.0 mm 39.0 g 1826 or 1839 Five Pounds

Illustrations

In order that the site can be loaded speedily by all users of the web, illustrationsare not used in the main pages. Previously, because of bandwidth limitations on the host server that I used to use,pictures were accessed from a picture store on the separate website www.ukcoinpics.co.uk. However, this has now been relocated back onto this site in the folder www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/pics.Use of www.ukcoinpics.co.uk remains active although you will simply be redirected back to the corresponding page on this site.

Links to individual pictures can be found at relevant points in the main description pages, and are downloaded from thepicture store, while the above reference will give an index to extensive displays of images based either on monarch or denomination.

Future Developments

Now that I have scanners and digital cameras the number of illustrations onthe picture pages has beendramatically increased. I particularly welcome donations of images to fill gaps inthe collection.

It is intended to write pages detailing the numismatic historyof the reign of each monarch, but this is taking some time. Little has been done onthat mission in this century!

Grading

A range of grades are used to describe the condition of coins. Valuation of a coin isimpossible without a sound knowledge of the grading of coins. For this there is no realsubstitute for experience. However, the followingis a guide to the main UK grading scheme used for UK and other coins. Please note thatthis differs in many respects from US grading systems.

• Poor: Inscriptions worn off, date illegible, only outline of design visible. Such coins are generally of no value to a collector.
• Fair: Date and denomination legible, type recognisable. Very little detail visible. This is an example of a 'Fair' penny
• Good (G): (sometimes Mediocre) Inscriptions and date considerably worn but legible.
• Very Good (VG): Considerable wear over the whole coin, and high spots worn through. Coins in this or the previous grades are really only collectable if extremely rare. This picture is of the reverse of a 1905 penny which is Good to Very Good (i.e. awful!)
• Fine (F): Worn over whole area, but only the highest spots are worn completely through. (US Grade about VF)
• Very Fine (VF): Detail clear, but obvious evidence of limited circulation. High spots worn but detailremains. Traces of mint lustre may linger amongst the letters of the inscription. (US Grade about XF)
• Extremely Fine (EF): Slight wear on high spots on close inspection, and all other detail clearand sharp. Much mint lustre may remain. (US Grade about AU)
• Uncirculated (Unc): No wear, although it is possible for the design not to be fully struck up inthe minting process. There may be bag abrasions. Older coins may be tarnished or toned.
• Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): Usually implies full mint lustre, in other words no toning or tarnish.
• FDC: (Fleur de Coin) Perfect mint state, with no abrasions or marks, and full lustre.Usually applied to proof coins only, as coins intended for circulation are in contact with othersduring production.
• Proof: Not a condition, but the coin has been struck using specially prepared dies and polished blanks,and the minting process has been carried out usually twice with extra pressure to ensurethe die is filled. Normally the fields are highly polished, with the design matte, howevermatte proofs where the whole coin is matte are known (for example all the 1902 GB proofs), andsometimes even the design is polished. A characteristic of proof coins is that they have very sharp edgesbecause of the high pressures used to ensure that the metal flows into all details of the design.

Many coins fall in between grades, and so terms such as 'nearly VF', 'good VF', 'gem BU' are encountered.The numerical system popular in the USA is almost unused in the UK, and US readers should bear in mind thattheir grading system is more generous than that of the UK.

The Two Pound Coin with a Necklace Legend

There have been rumours circulating in the UK that the two pound coinwhere the queen is wearing a necklace is worth a lot (the highestfigure quoted to me is £75). There have even been rumours that they arebeing recalled and that banks and post offices will give a premium for them.

This is an urban legend.

1997 two pound coins are plentiful, circulate readily, and are NOT scarce. Sorryto disappoint you on this. Banks and post offices will only give you twopounds for them. No less than 13,734,625 have been issued for circulationaccording to the Royal Mint. Hardly a rare coin. However, they are not toooften seen as not only are much larger numbers of later coins available, butbecause of the rumours they have been picked out of circulation.

There was a problem in the production of the new bimetallic two pound coinswhich meant that the release date was delayed from 1997 to 1998. In themeantime the portrait was changed for the newer coins minted in 1998. Theyissued the 1997 coins (with the 'necklace') anyway, in large quantities.

They are not worth more than two pounds, nor will they be unless in uncirculatedcondition in a lot of years time (as will the 1998, 1999, etc coins)

On the other hand the Guernsey version of the coin dated 1997 is scarce as it wasonly issued in the Guernsey uncirculated coin sets (as you may know both Jersey andGuernsey issue their own coins).

The Two Penny Coin with NEW PENCE Legend

A lot of people have misunderstood a recent TV program.

There is a rare two penny coin, but it is only the one dated 1983with NEW PENCE on the reverse.

From 1971 to 1981 all UK circulating coins used the words NEW PENCE to distinguish them from the old pre-decimal pennies. In 1982 it was felt that this had gone on long enough, and the legends were changed, replacing the word NEW withthe value of the coin, such as TWO or FIFTY, etc.

In 1983 so many 2p coins were in circulation that there was little demand for more.As a result, two pence coins bearing that date were only issued in sets issued by theRoyal Mint for collectors. In error, about 20 or so included two pence coins with the old NEW PENCE instead of TWO PENCE on the reverse.

There may be sets still sitting around unchecked (sadly my own has the more common TWO PENCE reverse).The chances of sets being broken up and put into circulation are fairly small, so the chances of findinga 1983 twopence in circulation are tiny anyway - the chances of finding the error reverse make winning the lottery look easy.

'To Hanover' Tokens

Copper or brass tokens bearing the legend 'To Hanover' often turn up. These are notUK coins, despite the portrait of Queen Victoria usually found on them.

When William IV died, Victoria became Queen, and inherited many of King William's titles.However, the Electorship of Hanover could only be inherited by a male heir, and thiswent to the Duke of Cumberland, a rather unpopular figure, who promptly departed to Hanover.

The tokens were used for gaming, it is thought, and say 'Good Riddance', so to speak.

The rare 1882 penny

I get frequent emails from people who have an 1882 penny. In 1882 an entirely new Royal Mint was constructed, and asa result all bronze coinage for that year was struck at the mint at Ralph Heaton and Sons in Birmingham. They used an H mintmark below the date, so1882 pennies with this date have an H below the 88 of 1882 right next to the border of the design.

For some unknown reason a very few 1882 pennies are known without the H mintmark. These are truly rare, but the matter is complicated by the that one ofthe two die types used for 1882H pennies has a small H that wears away quite quickly. As most surviving bun pennies are quite worn, the H can be difficult to see.You can only be certain that you have a 'No H' penny if the area and edge below the date are very clearly defined.

I almost get more emails on this subject than any other. All examples have been either 1882H pennies or are so worn no buyer would be convinced otherwise.

Reverse Orientations

With modern coins there are two types of the orientation of the reverse:

• 'Coin' orientation, where the reverse is upside down when you turn the coin sideways.
• 'Medal' orientation, where the reverse is upright when you turn the coin sideways.

Modern US 'silver' coins use the 'coin' orientation, as do most UK copper coinsprior to 1825 (1826 for farthings) and silver or gold up until 1887.

Modern UK coins after the above dates use 'medal' orientation, as do many earlier proofs.

The Change to Decimal Coinage

Prior to 'D-Day' on 15th February 1971 the English coinage system was based on the followingrelationships:

• 2 Farthings = 1 Halfpenny
• 2 Halfpence = 1 Penny (1d)
• 6 Pence = Sixpence (often referred to as a tanner) (6d)
• 12 Pence = 1 Shilling (often referred to as bob, e.g. six bob) (1/-)
• 2 shillings = 1 Florin (or two bob bit) (2/-)
• 2 Shillings and 6 Pence = 1 Half Crown (rarely referred to as half a dollar) (2/6)
• 5 shillings = 1 Crown (5/-)
• 20 Shillings = 1 Pound (often referred to as a quid) (£1)

Other terms much more rarely used include

• 4 Pence = 1 Groat (4d)
• 13 Shillings and 4 Pence (160 pence) = 1 Mark (13/4)
• 21 Shillings = 1 Guinea (£1/1/-)

Note the way sums of money were written: 6/8 means 6 shillings and eightpence,while £2/19/11 was two pounds nineteen shillings and eleven pence. The use of d forpenny may seem odd until you realise it is short for the Latin denarius.

The term guinea was (and is) used for 21 shillings (£1.05), especially in horse racing andby auction houses, although no coin of that value has been issued since 1813.

The Mark was traditionally used as a standard fine by the University of Cambridge duringmy own time there in the early 1960's.

In advance of D-day the halfpenny and half-crown were withdrawn, and 5 new pence and 10new pence coins were issued from 1968 to circulate alongside the existing shilling and florin coins.A 50p coin appeared in 1969 to replace the old 10 shilling banknote. The farthing had gone long before, in 1961.

After D-day the penny and threepence coins rapidly disappeared from use. The sixpencecontinued in use as 2½ pence for about nine years. The new halfpenny went not long afterwards.However, the old shillings and florins continued alongside the 5p and 10p coins until a reduction in size in the early 1990's resulted in their disappearance from circulation.The 50p coin was also reduced in size in 1997.

Three new coins have been introduced since decimalisation - the 20p appeared in 1982followed by the pound coin in 1983 and the two pound coin in 1998 (although 1997 versions arefrequently found in change). Commemorative two pound coins were issued irregularly from 1986,but these early coins differ from the circulating version first issued in 1998 in that the latter is much thinner and is also bimetallic.

Full information on the switch to Decimal Coinage, and recent changes to the coins usedin the UK, can be found on the Decimal Coins page.

Acknowledgements

The information has been culled from a very wide variety of sources, and Iacknowledge my indebtedness to them, especially the following:

• 'An Advanced Guide to Coin Collecting' by Howard Linecar
• 'Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins'
• 'English Coins' by GC Brooke
• 'English Copper, Tin and Bronze Coins in the British Museum' by C.W.Peck.
• 'The Bronze Coinage of Great Britain' by Michael J. Freeman
• 'A History of Modern English Coinage' by James Mackay
• 'The Seaby Coin Encyclopaedia' by Ewald Junge
• 'Seaby's (now Spink's) Standard Catalogue of British Coins'
• 'Teach Yourself Numismatics' by CC Chamberlain

There are many individuals who have been kind enough to help, and while some are mentionedindividually in the text, I am indebted to all those who have written to me about pointsin this site.

I am particularly indebted to Spink and Jean Elsen & Ses Fils for permission to useimages from their auction catalogues, as well as many other individuals who are acknowledgedby name or have given images anonymously.

Other Coin Related Sites

A list can be found on my Links Page.

An essay on the use of various metals in coinage is to be found on my'Metals Used in Coins and Medals' page.

Help and Advice

I would be grateful if you could search the site carefully before mailing me - the answers to the great majority of the questions that I am asked can be found on this site, and I am unlikely to reply quickly to suchquestions. In particular, I do NOT provide a valuation service.

If you have done this and still wish to ask for advice, feel free to mail me via my Advice page.

Coins of the UK
Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
First created in 1997. This version is number 496 dated 3rd September 2020

United Kingdom coins price guide and values

British Coins 1765

Early milled coinage - 1662 to 1813

British Coins Value

Starting in 1662, hammered coins stopped being produced and all British coins were machine made (milled).

British Coins Shield

Pre-decimal coinage - 1816 to 1967

Prior to decimalisation the pound was divided into 20 shillings, each of 12 (old) pence; thus, there were 240 (old) pence to the pound.

Decimal coinage - 1968 to 2021

Since decimalisation, on 15 February 1971, the pound has been divided into 100 (new) pence. The value of the pound itself was unchanged by decimalisation. The new coins were initially marked with the words NEW PENNY or NEW PENCE. The word 'new' was dropped in 1982. The first decimal coins were circulated in 1968.

British Coins In Circulation

View the 250 last updates of British coins values.