1 Shilling - George I 1st bust (1715–1723)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1715–1723 |
| Denomination | 1 Shilling |
| Face value | 5p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 6.020g · 0.1790 t oz |
| Diameter | 26.0mm |
| Thickness | 1.00mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | John Croker |
| Rev. artist | John Croker |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
First laureate and draped bust of King George I right, legend around.
GEORGIVS D G M BR FR ET HIB REX F D
Crowned cruciform shields with central Garter star, divided date above, legend around.
BRVN ET L DVX S R I A TH ET EL
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1715 1 Shilling - George I 1st bust
The 1715 1 Shilling - George I 1st bust is a circulating 1 shilling coin issued from 1715 to 1723, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 6.02g and measures 26mm across. Reverse design: Crowned cruciform shields with central Garter star, divided date above, legend around.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1715 1 Shilling - George I 1st bust worth?
No verified sale of the 1715 1 Shilling - George I 1st bust has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its silver content is worth about £7.17 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How many George I first bust shillings were made?
No mintage by date has been published for George I shillings. Scarcity is judged from the dates and provenance marks that survive. Wikipedia describes the 1723 SSC shilling as common, with even mint state examples easily found.
What do the roses and plumes on a George I shilling mean?
They are provenance marks showing where the silver came from. The Royal Mint Museum links roses and plumes together to the company smelting lead with pit coal and sea coal, roses alone to West of England mines and plumes alone to the Welsh Copper Company.
What is the SS over C error on a 1723 shilling?
Wikipedia describes a slightly scarce SSC shilling on which the engraver punched a C in the wrong place and then stamped SS over it, so a faint C shows under the SS. It also records a far rarer variety with the whole group of shields rotated.
Is a 1723 George I shilling first bust or second bust?
It can be either. Tony Clayton lists 1723 SSC shillings with the first bust and with the second bust, and roses and plumes shillings of 1723 with both busts too. Compare the portrait with a known example before attributing it.
How do I identify the 1715 1 Shilling - George I 1st bust?
Check the weight 6.02g and diameter 26mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The first bust shilling covers the years 1715 to 1723, the first part of George I's reign. Tony Clayton lists a shilling for every one of those years, nearly all with roses and plumes in the angles of the reverse. No mintage has been published for any date, so scarcity is judged from what survives.
The best known date is 1723. Graham Birch, writing for the British Numismatic Society, describes how the South Sea Company's ship Royal George brought around a million pieces of eight from Cartagena to Falmouth in February 1723, and how around 100,000 pounds of the silver went to the Mint, all struck by mid May 1723. The shillings carry SS and C in the angles. Birch suggests shillings were the most common SSC denomination, and Wikipedia calls the coin common even in mint state.
The obverse shows George I's first laureate bust facing right, draped and in armour, with GEORGIVS D G M BR FR ET HIB REX F D: George, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith. John Croker, Chief Engraver from 1705, engraved the dies.
The reverse has four crowned shields arranged as a cross: England impaling Scotland, France, Ireland and the Electorate, with the Garter star in the centre. BRVN ET L DVX S R I A TH ET EL and the date give the king's titles as Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. The Royal Mint Museum explains the marks in the angles: roses and plumes for the company smelting lead with pit coal and sea coal, roses for West of England mines and plumes for the Welsh Copper Company. The edge is grained.
Varieties and errors
Clayton lists the overdates 1720/18, 1721/0, 1721/19 and 1721/18, a scarce 1721 with plumes and roses in reversed angles, and a 1723 SSC with the arms of France at the date. Wikipedia records an SS over C error and a far rarer SSC with the shields rotated. The Royal Mint Museum holds a 1723 SSC shilling catalogued as a reverse brockage, a striking error.
Collecting notes
Check the reverse first: roses and plumes, SSC, or no marks, and the date. Overdates need good magnification. On a 1723 coin, match the portrait against the second bust shilling, since both busts were used that year. Wear shows first on the hair and on the shield crowns.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- One Shilling, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- The Tercentenary of the South Sea Company SSC silver coins approaches, Graham Birch, British Numismatic Society Research Blog (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Values of Shillings, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Coin values by year, George I (year pages 1715 to 1723, read one by one), Coin Hunter (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Shilling coin of George I (1723, SSC), Science Museum Group, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George I shilling reverse brockage, 1723, The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- South Sea Company coinage, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George II, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- John Croker (engraver), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Shilling coin of George I (1723, SSC, first bust), Leicester Museums and Galleries, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
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