George III 1760 - 1820

In 1816, they changed our coinage system completely. Gone was the Guinea and in was the Sovereign. The Shilling was one of the first of the new coins to appear. This first new shilling was issued from 1816-1820 with the portrait of King George III. They were struck in Sterling Silver and are now over 200 years old. We have examples of this coin in different grades. Dates will be of our choice but the more you order the more different dates we will try and give you. Remember this is the FIRST of the new coinage…

George III’s reign covered a crucial period in British history, which included the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. In 1816, The British economy was in a state of transition, it was a time of rebuilding and economic stabilization for Britain after the long and costly wars against France. The shillings of 1816 serve as a tangible artifact, minted during a time of historical significance as they marked the introduction of Britain’s new coinage in 1816, as well as reflecting the historical context of the post-Napoleonic era. We’ve been putting aside high-grade examples of these fabulous 1816 shillings for a while and are delighted to offer them to you in Choice Uncirculated, we only have 17 in stock so get one while stocks last.

George III Bull Head (1816-1820) Shilling offered in Fair. Dates will be of our choice, but the more coins you order the more dates we will try to give you.

In 1816 the Currency Reform Act came into force, which allowed coins to be struck even without the Monarch’s permission. This was put into place because of King George III’s illness and the shortage of small change. From 1816 on, new designs, new weights, new everything. These are the first of the new Sterling Silver Shillings issued from 1816-1820. You have the bull head of the King on one side and a crowned shield on the other side. Even in this grade supplies are limited.

With beautiful blue and maegenta peripheral toning.

In 1816 they passed the currency Reform Act which changed our coinage completely. The Guinea was out and the Sovereign was in. All coins before then were no longer legal tender. One coin that was badly needed for everyday usage was the humble sixpence. So in 1816, a new Sixpence was issued. The King hated the design and the public referred to it as the ‘Bull Head’ Sixpence because of the design. But it was only struck from 1816-1820 when a new King took the throne. Dates will be of our choice, but the more coins you order the more different dates we will try and give you.

These George III Sterling Silver 1787 Sixpences were only struck for circulation for just one year, 1787. What is even more interesting is that they were struck for the Bank of England to give out to their favoured clients around Christmas. You have King George III in an armoured bust on the obverse and four crowns and four shields on the reverse. Today the Royal Mint is charging £95 in Fine. The reverse in some ways is even more interesting than the obverse. As you have the arms of England, Ireland, Scotland, Hanover and France. The coins on offer are very high grade and becoming very difficult to find these days. They are available in Extremely Fine. Remember that this coin is now over 230 years old and in very high quality.

Most will know about the illness of King George III, but most don’t know that because of that illness the King would not allow a law to make smaller coins to be passed. This of course caused a lot of problems with day-to-day commerce; there just were not enough small coins around to make change. There are only two silver coins struck before the Currency Reform Act of 1816, that are readily available to collectors: the George III Sixpence and the Shilling of 1787. There is a simple but almost unbelievable reason for this. These coins were struck at the Royal Mint from silver delivered from the Bank of England. The Bank decided that they would need some new shiny coins to give out to their clients at Christmas. So only the Bank of England had these silver coins, and they only handed them out during the Christmas period, and only to their wealthy clients. So now you have the whole history! You have King George III dressed in what looks like Roman armour, and on the reverse the arms of Hanover and France as well as England, Scotland, and Ireland. Back in 1787, you had to be somehow important to have one of these Sixpences, important enough to do business directly with the Bank of England, and someone they wanted to treat. We have selected some very high-quality examples of this beautiful and very important historical coin for your collection.