1 Guinea - George III Pattern (1791)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1791 |
| Denomination | 1 Guinea |
| Face value | £1.05 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 7.940g · 0.2340 t oz |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate portrait of King George III right, legend around on broad, raised rim.
Crowned and quartered, spade-shaped shield of arms, legend around on broad, raised rim, date below.
1 Guinea - George III Pattern market value
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Daily limit reached1 Guinea - George III Pattern 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 | £2,200.00 🔒 | £2,100.00 (2) | – | £2,000.00 – £2,200.00 | 0 | 2 | 01-03-2015 | |
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| VF | £737.02 🔒 | £635.11 (2) | – | £533.20 – £737.02 | 0 | 2 | 19-04-2024 | |
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About the 1791 1 Guinea - George III Pattern
The 1791 1 Guinea - George III Pattern is a circulating 1 guinea coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 7.94g. Reverse design: Crowned and quartered, spade-shaped shield of arms, legend around on broad, raised rim, date below.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1791 1 Guinea - George III Pattern worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1791 1 Guinea - George III Pattern run from £635 to £2,100 across 2 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 £701 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Is there a 1791 pattern guinea?
It is listed in the Krause catalogue as KM PnE63, but no description of the piece has been published by the Royal Mint Museum or the standard dealer references. The 1791 guinea that collectors usually meet is the ordinary spade guinea struck for circulation.
What does a normal 1791 guinea look like?
It is a spade guinea: Lewis Pingo's fifth laureate head of George III with GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA, and a crowned spade-shaped shield of arms with the legend M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E and the date 1791.
How should I check a coin sold as a 1791 pattern guinea?
Compare it with an ordinary 1791 spade guinea, which should weigh about 8.35 g with a grained edge. A coin that differs only in weight or wear is not a pattern; a true pattern should differ in design, finish or edge and come with a catalogue reference.
How do I identify the 1791 1 Guinea - George III Pattern?
Check the weight 7.94g and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This entry is listed in the Krause catalogue as a pattern guinea dated 1791, KM PnE63. Unlike the other George III guinea patterns, it has no published description from the Royal Mint Museum or the main collector references, and its maker, metal finish and purpose are not documented.
The 1791 date itself is well known as an ordinary spade guinea. The spade type was struck for circulation from 1787 to 1799, and examples dated 1791 are in public collections, including three from the Millard Bequest recorded by the Museum Data Service. CoinVarieties records no mintage for the date.
The currency guinea of 1791 carries Lewis Pingo's fifth laureate head of George III facing right with GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA, and on the reverse the crowned spade-shaped shield with the legend M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E and the date. Any pattern of this date would be expected to differ from it in some way, but how this one differs is not recorded.
Collecting notes
Treat any coin offered as a 1791 pattern guinea with care and ask for the catalogue reference behind the attribution. A light or worn 1791 spade guinea is still a currency coin, and brass gaming counters dated 1791 imitating the spade guinea are common. The ordinary coin is covered under the spade 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.
- Great Britain 1791 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- 1787-1800 George III Gold 'Spade' Guinea, The Royal Mint (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Object search: guinea 1791, Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Pictures of Guineas and Sovereigns of George III, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III guinea, 1798 (RMM 945), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
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