1797 Cartwheel Penny

Thanks...it's actually much nicer in hand too.

Very nice coin.

I was guessing a VF due to details on the shield, but I'm sort of unfamiliar with these coins.
It's actually better looking in hand because the lens picks up every blemish.
Not bad for $6, eh?

David, this is quite larger than the later predicimal penny series.
It's 36mm and 28.35 grams, and is quite impressive in hand.

Was it made that big so that the value of the metal content equaled the face value?

WpgLwr wrote: Question: These were only made the one year, right? Seems like every one I see is 1797. There were tuppences too, weren't there?

Yes there were the larger and heavier tuppences (2d) of 1797.

I think they struck these coins for a few years all bearing the date 1797. But don't quote me on that.

In 1797, during the reign of George III, the Cartwheel Twopence piece was struck by Matthew Boulton at the Soho Mint.

This is by far the largest base metal coin issued in the UK, weighing two ounces (56.7 g) and measuring 41 mm diameter and 5 mm thick. On the obverse is a portrait of George III facing right, with the inscription GEORGIUS III D G REX, while the reverse shows Britannia seated facing left, holding an olive branch and trident, with BRITANNIA above and 1797 below.
The weight means that the coin is very susceptable to edge knocks.
The coin was found to be too heavy for regular use, and no more copper or bronze twopence coins were struck until decimalisation in 1971.

There are many late strikes made by Matthew Boulton in a variety of metals, and further ones made by W.J.Taylor when he bought the dies in 1848. I believe that the chief way these later issues can be distinguished is by marks resulting from die corrosion. He also produced a pattern or patterns dated 1805 with a different design.

REF T. CLAYTON

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