1787 AD UK AR Shilling George III

Re the inscriptions:

On the obverse

GEORGIVS III / DEI GRATIA

"George the 3rd, by the Grace of God"

On the Reverse

M. B. F. ET H. REX, F. D. B. ET L. D. S. R. I. AT. ET E.

Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae et Hiberniae Rex, Fidei Defensor, Brunswickensis et Luneburgensis Dux, Sancti Romani Imperii Archithesaurarius et Elector

"Of Great Britain, France and Ireland King, defender of the faith, of Brunswick and Luneburg Duke, of the Holy Roman Empire Archtreasurer and Elector".

A proud boast indeed. English monarchs still fancied themselves as kings of France, harking back to the mediaeval times. At the 3 o'clock position on the reverse are the arms of France, 6 o'clock Ireland, 9 o'clock arms of the German possessions Brunswick. Luneburg and Hanover ( Hannover ), at 12 o'clock halved arms of England and Scotland.

Your coin is the more common of the shillings, as shown by the dot above the king's head. There was also a version with small hearts in the top corners of the German shield.

It is in superb condition. Thanks for sharing the photographs.

Can't give you catalogue values at this time as am at work. Later I will add them. If it is not a rude question, how much did you pay?

$100 dollars seems to be a bit on the high side - however, your's is in exeptional condition. eBay might have given you a cheaper one (well, the UK eBay is bound to be cheaper for UK currency.)

@Peter Thomas - Thats coo,l a gold plated shilling. I take it your shilling was plated in the 18th century and used as a counterfeit? In response to your, "huh?" I found this excerpt that better summarizes what I was trying to briefly say.

''George III hoped that "the tongue of malice may not paint my intentions in those colours she admires, nor the sycophant extoll me beyond what I deserve",[117] but in the popular mind George III has been both demonised and praised. While very popular at the start of his reign, by the mid-1770s George had lost the loyalty of revolutionary American colonists,[118] though it has been estimated that as many as half of the colonists remained loyal.[119] The grievances in the United States Declaration of Independence were presented as "repeated injuries and usurpations" that he had committed to establish an "absolute Tyranny" over the colonies. The Declaration's wording has contributed to the American public's perception of George as a tyrant''


I never like paying more then something is worth. I am glad I still got a good deal. Thanks for your comments guys. I am glad I was able to get a "top?" example :-)

Nate

If its only worth 50 pounds. I guess I over paid. Although I Have never met a UK dealer, we have nobe in the US. I also have never seen this " common" coin before I bought it.
I never have luck importing from the UK either. So figure 800 USD for a plane ticket, I think I did alright. Are these exclusivly preserved in high grades? I am surprised that every UK dealers got one. I am sure now there has got to be a fair amount of fakes out there. Thanks for commenting all.

Ancientnoob: To answer your query if they are only preserved in high grades -I have one I would rate as F ( VF if I screw my eyes half shut and hold it up against the sun ).

Spink catalogues your coin as VF £60 and EF £135. This is assuming your coin is genuine. It might be plentiful in London, but out in the sticks where I am, you don't see much silver pre 1816.

I am pleased to own this coin because apart from the 1763 Northumberland shilling ( rare and often faked ) and the 1798 "Dorrien and Magens" ( extremely rare ) it is the only George III shilling pre the great recoinage of 1816. It is probably the only shilling from this era an ordinary collector like me will ever get.

>>1 wouldn't pay more than £40/50 for your coin as they sit in every British dealers trays who can't shift them.

$100 is £64, so the price is quite reasonable. It is somewhat better than those that sit unsold in trays, or at least the trays I frequent :)

As for grade GVF ? (which probably crosses over to a US EF ?)

@ALL thanks all for coming out and taking a look and commenting on my coin. Thanks for the quick history lesson. I assure you all that American Historian have most likely got a lot wrong. Maybe more then what is correct. Again thanks all.

Nate