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1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token (1811–1812)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1811–1812 |
| Denomination | 1 Shilling 6 Pence |
| Face value | 7.5p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Silver (.8916) (892/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 7.350g · 0.2107 t oz |
| Diameter | 26.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate and cuirassed bust of King George III right, legend around.
GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX
Legend above denomination and date within oak wreath.
BANK TOKEN 1s. 6D. 1812
1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token market value
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Daily limit reached1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token 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 | £34.00 🔒 | £34.00 (1) | – | £34.00 – £34.00 | 0 | 1 | 20-09-2024 | |
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| VF | £150.00 🔒 | £150.00 (1) | – | £150.00 – £150.00 | 0 | 1 | 15-04-2025 | |
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| MS-62 | £166.08 🔒 | £181.18 (2) | – | £166.08 – £196.27 | 1 | 2 | 22-06-2026 | |
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| MS-63 | £128.33 🔒 | £128.33 (1) | – | £128.33 – £128.33 | 0 | 1 | 16-12-2024 | |
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| MS-64 | £196.27 🔒 | £196.27 | – | £150.98 – £256.66 | 0 | 3 | 02-09-2025 | |
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| MS-65 | £311.83 🔒 | £291.80 (2) | – | £271.76 – £311.83 | 1 | 2 | 26-01-2026 | |
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About the 1811 1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token
The 1811 1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token is a circulating 1 shilling 6 pence coin issued from 1811 to 1812, struck in 89.16% silver. It weighs 7.35g and measures 26mm across. Reverse design: Legend above denomination and date within oak wreath.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1811 1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1811 1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token run from £34.00 to £292 across 6 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one. Its silver content is worth about £8.44 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
What is an 1811 eighteen pence bank token?
An emergency silver piece issued by the Bank of England when official silver coin was scarce. The Royal Mint struck it at Tower Hill from melted Spanish silver. It was valued at eighteen pence (1s 6d) and was issued alongside a three shilling token.
Is the 1811 bank token rare?
No. Tony Clayton says none of the regular eighteen pence tokens are uncommon, although some proofs are scarce. No mintage figure for the individual dates has been published in an accessible source.
How do I tell the 1811 type from the later bank token?
Look at the portrait. The first type, dated 1811 and 1812, shows a laureate bust draped and in armour. From 1812 the King is shown as a laureate head with a bare, cut-off neck, and the reverse was also changed.
Can you still spend a bank token?
No. The tokens were a stop-gap until the Great Recoinage of 1816. Clayton records that after 1820 they were accepted only as bullion, so they have had no face value for two centuries.
How do I identify the 1811 1 Shilling 6 Pence - George III Bank of England Token?
Check the weight 7.35g and diameter 26mm and the metal (89.16% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
By 1811 Britain had gone years without a proper silver coinage. The Royal Mint Museum explains that the Mint paid less for silver than it fetched as bullion, so little was coined, and private firms filled the gap by countermarking Spanish dollars or striking their own silver tokens. To check this the Bank of England issued official bank tokens for three shillings and eighteen pence. They were made by the Royal Mint at its new Tower Hill premises from melted Spanish silver and were dated from 1811 to 1816.
This entry is the first type of the eighteen pence, dated 1811 and 1812. Tony Clayton notes that the design was changed during 1812, so that year is found with both portraits. No mintage figure for either date has been published in an accessible source.
The obverse shows George III with a laurel wreath, his bust draped and in armour, with the legend GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX (George III, by the grace of God, King). The reverse carries no portrait or arms: the words BANK TOKEN, the value 1s. 6D. and the date sit in lines inside an oak wreath, as on a Science Museum Group example of 1812.
Museum examples weigh about 7.3 g and measure about 27 mm. The issuing authority is the Bank of England, not the Crown, which is why the piece is a token and has no royal titles beyond the King's name on the obverse.
Varieties and errors
The armoured bust type is known dated 1811 and 1812. Clayton's tables list two types for 1812 (the second being the laureate head design), and he notes some scarce proofs.
Collecting notes
The high points of the armoured bust, the laurel leaves and the lettering of the wreath are the first to wear. Check the date carefully on an 1812 piece, since that year is shared with the laureate head type. Private eighteen pence tokens of the same years, such as the Peterborough Bank token of 1811 in the Fitzwilliam Museum, carry a town or bank name and are a separate series.
After the Great Recoinage of 1816 the bank tokens were withdrawn, and Clayton records that after 1820 they were accepted only as bullion. The larger three shilling token was issued alongside it with the same armoured bust.
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)
- Eighteen Pence and Twenty Pence, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Bank-token of George III, eighteen pence, 1812 (1947-3/1/480), Science Museum Group, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Object search: eighteen pence bank token (Leicester, Science Museum Group, Aberdeen and Fitzwilliam records), Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Values of Eighteen Pence Tokens, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Peterborough Bank eighteen pence token, 1811 (CM.BI.2634-R), Fitzwilliam Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
