1 Dollar - George III Type I countermark oval (1797)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1797 |
| Denomination | 4 Shillings 9 Pence |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1797 |
| Composition | Silver (.917) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 27.000g · 0.7960 t oz |
| Diameter | 39.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Crowned globes dividing pillars above date, legend around.
Crowned shield of arms between
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1797 1 Dollar - George III Type I countermark – oval
The 1797 1 Dollar - George III Type I countermark – oval is a circulating 4 shillings 9 pence coin, struck in 91.7% silver. It weighs 27g and measures 39mm across. Reverse design: Crowned shield of arms between.
It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1797), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1797 1 Dollar - George III Type I countermark – oval worth?
No verified sale of the 1797 1 Dollar - George III Type I countermark – oval has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its silver content is worth about £31.78 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
What is a pillar dollar?
The machine-struck Spanish colonial 8 reales introduced in 1732, before the king's portrait appeared on the dollar. One side shows two crowned hemispheres between the Pillars of Hercules with the legend VTRAQUE VNUM, 'both are one'; the other carries the crowned Spanish arms and the king's name.
Why is a countermarked pillar dollar finer silver than a bust dollar?
Pillar dollars were struck to the 1728 standard of 11/12 fine, about 0.917. In 1772 Spain lowered the standard to about 0.903, so the later bust dollars that make up most countermarked coins contain slightly less silver.
Is the countermarked pillar dollar common?
It is far less often described than the bust dollars. The examples recorded by the Royal Mint Museum, the Bank of England Museum and the main dealers are mostly Charles III and Charles IV bust types of the 1770s to 1790s. No count of pillar hosts is published.
How do I identify the 1797 1 Dollar - George III Type I countermark – oval?
Check the weight 27g and diameter 39mm and the metal (91.7% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Royal Mint Museum records that in the spring of 1797 the Bank of England, short of silver coin, issued Spanish 8 reales stamped with a small oval head of George III at 4s 9d. The countermarked dollars were heavily forged and ceased to be legal tender at the end of October 1797. Tony Clayton notes that the need for a crown-sized coin had become very evident after no English crowns had been struck since 1751.
The Bank stamped the dollars it held regardless of age. This entry covers the oldest design among them, the milled pillar dollar that Wikipedia dates from 1732. No figure survives for how many dollars of any host were countermarked.
The pillar dollar has no portrait. Wikipedia treats the side with the crowned Spanish arms and the king's name and titles, for example Philip V or Ferdinand VI, as the obverse. The reverse shows two crowned hemispheres between the Pillars of Hercules, adorned with the PLUS VLTRA motto, and the legend VTRAQUE VNUM, 'both are one', with the mint and date. Wikipedia gives the standard from 1728 as 11/12 fine, about 0.917, higher than the 0.903 adopted in 1772 for the later bust dollars.
The British countermark is the small oval head of George III that the Royal Mint Museum identifies as the Goldsmiths' Hall hallmarking punch.
Collecting notes
The examples described by the Royal Mint Museum, the Bank of England Museum and the main dealers are almost all bust dollars of the 1770s to 1790s, such as the Royal Mint Museum's Mexico City dollar of 1794. A pillar host is therefore the less familiar type. With no portrait for the stamp to sit on, check where it has been placed and compare it carefully with a genuine oval mark, since false countermarks on real dollars were a problem in 1797.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- George III, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Spanish dollar, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Five Shillings, Quarter Guinea and Five and Six, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III one dollar (RMM 1135), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Coin (oval countermarked), T406, Bank of England Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
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