⅓ Guinea - George III (1804–1813)

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 1804 Third Guinea - George III

The 1804 Third Guinea - George III is a circulating ⅓ guinea coin issued from 1804 to 1813, 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It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.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 seven shilling piece, or third guinea, had been introduced in 1797 to help the Bank of England pay its dividends in a time of scarce gold and to stand in for missing silver. In 1804 it received a new portrait, and this last type was struck in 1804, 1806, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811 and 1813. Tony Clayton and Wikipedia agree that none were issued in 1805, 1807 or 1812.

These were the years of the Napoleonic Wars. From 1800 to 1812 the third and half guineas were the only gold coins struck, the guinea itself returning only in 1813 to pay Wellington's army. That year also brought the last third guineas; the denomination ended with the guinea in the recoinage of 1816 to 1817, when the 20 shilling sovereign took its place. No mintage figure survives for any date.

The obverse is a new laureate head of George III facing right, with short hair, and the legend GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA. Hocking's 1906 catalogue of the Royal Mint collection describes it as the same head as the 1813 guinea.

The reverse is the royal crown with FIDEI DEFENSOR BRITANNIARUM REX around it and the date below, as on the 1801 type, but with a star (mullet) in the legend in place of the cross. The coin weighed 2.8 g and measured 17 mm, and the edge is grained. The Royal Mint Museum's 1804 example weighs 2.81 g.

Collecting notes

Clayton marks 1811 as rare and 1813, the final year, as scarce; the other dates are the ones most often seen. To confirm the type, look for the short-haired head and the star in the reverse legend, which separate it from the [1801 to 1803 third guinea](/coin/⅓-guinea-george-iii-1801). CoinVarieties gives the standard as 2.78 g of 0.917 fine gold.

The Royal Mint struck brass coin weights in 1821, including one for the seven shillings, and Clayton notes that these are sometimes confused with the gold coins themselves. Like all pre-Victorian gold, the third guinea was called in by proclamation of 22 November 1890 and demonetised from 28 February 1891.