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1 Guinea - George III 4th portrait (1774–1786)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1774–1786 |
| 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 | 24.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth laureate portrait of King George III right, legend around.
GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA
Crowned quartered shield showing the arms of England & Scotland, France, Ireland and Hanover, divided date above, legend around.
M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E
1 Guinea - George III market value
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Affiliate1 Guinea - George III price history
Daily limit reached1 Guinea - George III value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BU | £900.00 🔒 | £900.00 (1) | – | £900.00 – £900.00 | 0 | 1 | 02-09-2018 | |
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| EF | £1,200.00 🔒 | £800.00 | – | £600.00 – £1,200.00 | 0 | 7 | 06-12-2020 | |
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| VF | £600.00 🔒 | £850.00 (2) | – | £550.00 – £1,100.00 | 0 | 6 | 02-06-2024 | |
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| AU-55 | £1,100.00 🔒 | £1,100.00 (1) | – | £1,100.00 – £1,100.00 | 0 | 1 | 04-12-2022 | |
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| AU-58 | £1,700.00 🔒 | £1,700.00 (1) | – | £1,700.00 – £1,700.00 | 1 | 1 | 07-12-2025 | |
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About the 1774 1 Guinea - George III
The 1774 1 Guinea - George III is a circulating 1 guinea coin issued from 1774 to 1786, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 8.4g and measures 24mm across. Reverse design: Crowned quartered shield showing the arms of England & Scotland, France, Ireland and Hanover, 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It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.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 1774 1 Guinea - George III worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1774 1 Guinea - George III run from £800 to £1,700 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one. Its gold content is worth about £742 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How many George III fourth portrait guineas were made?
No mintage is published for any date from 1774 to 1786. CoinVarieties records each figure as unknown but calls this the first really common guinea type of George III, which fits the large recoinage of worn gold that began in 1774.
Why is there no 1780 guinea?
No guineas are dated 1780. Clayton says the first shield type ran from 1761 to 1786 omitting only 1762 and 1780, and Wikipedia gives the dates as 1763 to 1779 and 1781 to 1799, so the fourth portrait has twelve dates.
What is a rose guinea?
A name sometimes given to George III guineas with the elaborate garnished shield used up to 1786. The Royal Mint Museum says the reason for the name is unclear, as the design looks little like a rose. The plain spade-shaped shield replaced it in 1787.
Which fourth portrait guinea dates are scarcer?
1778. CoinVarieties calls it a better date and Sincona catalogued an example as selten (rare), while Clayton's value table also sets 1778 apart. The other dates from 1774 to 1786 are the common ones for this reign.
Is a 1775 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, long after the sovereign replaced the guinea in 1817.
How do I identify the 1774 1 Guinea - George III?
Check the weight 8.4g and diameter 24mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The fourth portrait was introduced in 1774, the year of a major overhaul of the gold coinage. Years of wear and deliberate filing had left many guineas light, and an Act of Parliament passed in 1774 set legal lower weight limits for them. The Royal Mint Museum says this created a great deal of work as light coins were returned to be melted and restruck, and Wikipedia records that old worn guineas of William III and Anne were recoined in 1774 as guineas and half guineas.
The type ran from 1774 to 1786, missing only 1780, which gives twelve dates. No mintage survives for any of them. CoinVarieties calls this the first really common guinea type of George III, and the dates it describes as not rare include 1774 to 1777 and 1785. The exception is 1778, which it calls a better date; Sincona catalogued one as selten (rare).
The obverse is a more mature laureate head of the king facing right, with GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA. The Royal Mint Museum says the 1770s portraits were designed by Thomas and Lewis Pingo, and the Metropolitan Museum credits its 1777 guinea to Thomas Pingo, Assistant Engraver from 1771 until his death in 1776. Hocking, describing the 1774 proof, gives the head long flowing hair curling under the truncation and a love-lock over the left shoulder.
The reverse keeps the garnished crowned shield of England and Scotland, France, Ireland and Hanover, with M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E and the date split by the crown. This was its last outing: in 1787 the plain spade-shaped shield replaced it, and the Royal Mint Museum notes that the older design was sometimes called the rose guinea.
Collecting notes
These are the most often seen guineas before the spade type, and mint state examples sold by Sincona, Heritage and Stack's Bowers show that high grades survive. Check weight and edge for the filing that the 1774 Act was aimed at, and look for cleaning, which Sincona noted on its 1778 and 1781 examples. A plain-edged proof dated 1774 exists and is described under the 1774 pattern guinea.
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)
- Great Britain 1781 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III proof guinea, 1774 (RMM 943), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Catalogue of the Coins, Tokens, Medals, Dies and Seals in the Museum of the Royal Mint, Vol. I Part I (Hocking, 1906), page 172, proofs of George III, Royal Mint Museum library (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1779 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III guinea, 1777 (2003.406.9), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (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)
- Values of One Pound coins and Guineas, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1774 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1786 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1778 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
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