George III, Bank of England Issue, Eighteen Pence, Bank Token 1811, Extremely Fine.

In 1811, George III became too unstable to rule, so he signed the Regency Bill which meant his son, George (later George IV) would act as Prince Regent. Silver was in relatively short supply for much of George III’s reign, together with the Royal Mint’s archaic equipment at the Tower, it was impossible to produce coinage at a profit. As a result, before the recoinage Act of 1816, only gold coinage was produced on a regular basis. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Bank of England ordered the production of silver tokens which were issued as legal tender. Two denominations were made – the 3 shillings and the 1 shilling and sixpence (or eighteen pence), they were dated 1811 to 1816. These tokens were minted to a slightly lower silver standard (89%) to allow a profit to be made. Production ended after the end of the Napoleonic War and victory in the Battle of Waterloo, followed by the introduction of the ‘new coinage’ of 1816. We’re pleased to offer you the One Shilling and Sixpence (Eighteen pence) silver token struck in 1811 featuring the armoured bust of George III, we offer them in Extremely Fine condition. We’ve been putting these aside for a few years and they always fly out, take this opportunity to own a historically important piece from the Napoleonic War era. Dates of our choice.