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1/2 Guinea - George III 2nd portrait
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1764-1775 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Guinea (21⁄40) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Crowned and ornamented quartered shield of arms bearing the royal arms of Great Britain, featuring the quarters for England, Scotland, France, and Ireland together with the Hanoverian inescutcheon, surrounded by an ornate mantling. The date is divided and appears above the shield. The peripheral Latin legend encircles the design, listing the full royal titles of George III. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Milled |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The half guinea occupied an awkward position in everyday British commerce — large enough to be inconvenient for small transactions, too small for serious mercantile use — and by the 1770s there was growing pressure to reform the gold coinage entirely. George III's second portrait, by Richard Yeo, replaced the first-year issue almost immediately after the 1763 coinage was found unsatisfactory, and Yeo's dies were themselves criticized by contemporaries for failing to capture a likeness the king approved of.
Spink 3732 covers a twelve-year run, but annual output was highly irregular, with some years seeing negligible production as silver shortages and wartime financing repeatedly distorted mint priorities.