1 Guinea - George II Older portrait (1747–1760)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1747–1760 |
| Denomination | 1 Guinea |
| Face value | £1.05 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1891 |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 8.400g · 0.2476 t oz |
| Diameter | 25.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | John Sigismund Tanner |
| Rev. artist | John Sigismund Tanner |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Older laureate portrait of King George II left, legend around.
Crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around.
M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1747 1 Guinea - George II Older portrait
The 1747 1 Guinea - George II Older portrait is a circulating 1 guinea coin issued from 1747 to 1760, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 8.4g and measures 25mm across. Reverse design: Crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around.
It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1747 1 Guinea - George II Older portrait worth?
No verified sale of the 1747 1 Guinea - George II Older portrait has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £742 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How many George II old head guineas were made?
No mintage is published for any year. CoinVarieties records the figure as unknown for both 1747 and 1753, but describes this type as probably the most available guinea of George II, which reflects how many dates it covers rather than any recorded total.
Which years were George II old head guineas struck?
Every year from 1747 to 1760 except 1754 and 1757, according to Clayton's date list and Wikipedia, which notes that guineas were not produced in those two years. The type ran until the end of the reign in 1760.
Why is the lettering on the old head guinea so close to the edge?
To deter filing. The Royal Mint Museum says the Reverend Peter Vallavine noticed that guineas with lettering near the rim were rarely filed, because any loss showed. The Mint adopted his idea with the old head in 1747, and Vallavine received a reward of 100 pounds.
Is a George II guinea still legal tender?
No. Wikipedia records that all gold coins from before Victoria's reign were called in by Royal Proclamation on 22 November 1890 and demonetised from 28 February 1891. The guinea itself was replaced by the sovereign after the Great Recoinage of 1816.
How do I identify the 1747 1 Guinea - George II Older portrait?
Check the weight 8.4g and diameter 25mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The old head was the last portrait on George II's guinea. It replaced the intermediate head in 1747 and was used until the king died in 1760, so it covers more dates than any other guinea of the reign: Clayton and Wikipedia between them give every year from 1747 to 1760 except 1754 and 1757. CoinVarieties describes it as probably the most available guinea of George II, though no mintage is recorded for any date.
The new head came with a security change. Filing gold from the edge of guineas was a serious problem, and the Royal Mint Museum records that the Reverend Peter Vallavine, having examined many filed coins, noticed that those with lettering close to the rim were seldom attacked. The Mint changed the graining in 1739 on his advice, and with the old head in 1747 made the lettering larger and moved it right up to the edge. Vallavine was given 100 pounds for his ideas.
The obverse shows an older laureate head of the king facing left, by John Sigismund Tanner, who had taken over portrait work from the ageing John Croker in 1739 and became Chief Engraver in 1741. No provenance marks are recorded on this head.
The reverse keeps the single crowned shield introduced at the start of the reign, which the Royal Mint Museum credits to John Ochs. It quarters the arms of England and Scotland, France, Hanover and Ireland, with the date split by the crown and the legend M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E. Wikipedia translates this as King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg, Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. The edge has the curved graining used since 1739.
Collecting notes
Heritage's cataloguers, quoted by CoinVarieties, note that the shallow engraving of this type tends to hold grades down, so a softly struck portrait is not always a sign of wear. Because the lettering runs so close to the rim, any filing or mount marks show at once; check the edge graining all the way round.
The type follows the intermediate head guinea. The guinea continued under George III until the sovereign replaced it in 1817.
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 II, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Guinea (coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- One Pound (The Sovereign or Guinea), Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1747 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1753 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Values of One Pound coins and Guineas, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
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