⅓ Guinea - George III (1801–1803)

One row for each year the ⅓ Guinea - George III was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 1801 Third Guinea - George III

The 1801 Third Guinea - George III is a circulating ⅓ guinea coin issued from 1801 to 1803, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 2.8g and measures 17mm across. Reverse design: Crown centrally with legend around and date below.

It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

The third guinea, known at the time as the seven shilling piece, was a wartime coin. A proclamation of 29 November 1797 introduced it when gold was scarce and the Bank of England needed small gold coins to pay its dividends, and the Royal Mint Museum notes that it was also meant to supplement the half guinea and make up for the shortage of silver. This entry covers the second type, struck in 1801, 1802 and 1803.

The change of type followed the union of the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland, when the king also gave up the old claim to the throne of France, and the reverse legend was rewritten without it. Between 1800 and 1812 the third and half guineas were the only gold coins issued. No mintage figure survives for any of the three dates.

The obverse keeps the first portrait used on the denomination since 1797, a laureate head of George III facing right with GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA. Tony Clayton calls it a "strange portrait", and it was replaced in 1804.

The reverse is a royal crown with FIDEI DEFENSOR BRITANNIARUM REX (Defender of the Faith, King of the Britains) around it and the date set separately below. A small cross stands in the legend on this type; in 1804 it became a mullet, or star. The edge is milled obliquely. The coin weighed 2.8 g and measured 17 mm; the Royal Mint Museum's 1803 example weighs 2.77 g.

Collecting notes

The reverse legend sorts the types at a glance. Coins of 1797 to 1800 read MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX around the crown; this type replaces it with the British title and moves the date under the crown; the 1804 to 1813 coins keep that legend but pair it with a short-haired portrait and a star in the legend. CoinVarieties gives the standard as 2.78 g of 0.917 fine gold, a useful check on any example.

All three dates are listed by Clayton without any marked as scarce, unlike 1811 and 1813 of the next type. Like every gold coin struck before Victoria, the third guinea was called in by proclamation of 22 November 1890 and ceased to be legal tender from 28 February 1891. The type that followed is the [1804 to 1813 third guinea](/coin/⅓-guinea-george-iii-1804).