Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells regularly: 17 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Shilling - George IV 1st portrait 1st reverse (1821)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1821 |
| Denomination | 1 Shilling |
| Face value | 5p |
| Mintage | 2,463,120 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1990 |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 5.660g · 0.1683 t oz |
| Diameter | 24.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Rev. artist | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate portrait of King George IV left, legend around.
GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
© Heritage Auctions
ANNO 1821
1st reverse Shilling market value
Find this on eBay
Affiliate1st reverse Shilling price history
Daily limit reached1st reverse Shilling 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU | £210.00 🔒 | £210.00 (2) | – | £210.00 – £210.00 | 2 | 2 | 28-04-2026 | |
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| VF | £26.70 🔒 eBay | £186.95 | – | £26.70 – £700.00 | 8 | 24 | 18-10-2026 | |
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| G | £420.00 🔒 | £180.00 | – | £120.00 – £420.00 | 1 | 3 | 17-09-2026 | |
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| AU-55 | £220.25 🔒 eBay | £220.25 (1) | – | £220.25 – £220.25 | 1 | 1 | 19-10-2026 | |
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| MS-62 | £256.66 🔒 | £256.66 (1) | – | £256.66 – £256.66 | 1 | 1 | 12-12-2025 | |
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| MS-64 | £347.25 🔒 | £498.63 (2) | – | £347.25 – £650.00 | 2 | 2 | 08-09-2026 | |
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| MS-65 | £773.76 🔒 | £773.76 (1) | – | £773.76 – £773.76 | 1 | 1 | 26-01-2026 | |
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| MS-66 | £981.35 🔒 | £981.35 (1) | – | £981.35 – £981.35 | 0 | 1 | 08-09-2024 | |
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| PR-65 | £4,000.00 🔒 | £4,000.00 (1) | – | £4,000.00 – £4,000.00 | 1 | 1 | 17-09-2026 | |
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About the 1821 1 Shilling - George IV – 1st reverse
The 1821 1 Shilling - George IV – 1st reverse is a circulating 1 shilling coin, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 5.66g and measures 24mm across. Reverse design: © Heritage Auctions.
2,463,120 were struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1990), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1821 1 Shilling - George IV – 1st reverse worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1821 1 Shilling - George IV – 1st reverse run from £180 to £4,000 across 9 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 £6.72 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How many 1821 shillings were made?
Coin Hunter gives 2,463,120 shillings dated 1821, and Coinvarieties' rounded figure of 2,463,000 agrees. Proofs were also struck. It was a one-year type, replaced in 1823 by a shield within the Garter.
Who designed the 1821 shilling?
Benedetto Pistrucci engraved the laureate portrait used on George IV's first coins in 1820. The reverse carries the initials of Jean Baptiste Merlen, a French engraver at the Royal Mint, hidden among the border beads.
Why did George IV's shilling change after 1821?
George IV disliked Pistrucci's portrait, which the Royal Mint Museum calls 'somewhat unflattering'. He preferred a bust by Francis Chantrey, and when Pistrucci refused to copy it, a bare-head portrait engraved by others followed from 1825.
Is an 1821 shilling still legal tender?
No. Shillings from 1816 onwards were allowed to circulate as 5p pieces after decimalisation, but the Royal Mint Museum records that they were demonetised at the end of December 1990, when the small 5p coin arrived.
How do I identify the 1821 1 Shilling - George IV – 1st reverse?
Check the weight 5.66g and diameter 24mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
George III died in 1820, and the new reign's silver followed the standard set by the Great Recoinage of 1816: sterling silver, struck at 66 shillings to the troy pound, giving a shilling of 5.655 g. The Royal Mint Museum records that Benedetto Pistrucci engraved the portrait for George IV's first coins in 1820.
This first shilling of the reign is a one-year type, dated 1821 only. Coin Hunter records 2,463,120 struck, and Coinvarieties' rounded 2,463,000 agrees. No shillings are dated 1822, and when the denomination returned in 1823 it had a new reverse.
The obverse shows Pistrucci's laureate head of the king facing left with GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D: around, the regnal number written with four Is. The Royal Mint Museum calls the portrait skilful if somewhat unflattering, and Wikipedia records that the king despised its bloated look.
Tony Clayton describes the reverse as a garnished shield, the royal arms in an ornamental frame beneath a crown, with ANNO 1821 below. Wikipedia notes that the letters of Jean Baptiste Merlen's initials are placed within the reverse beads of the shillings and sixpences of this period. The edge is milled.
Collecting notes
A Heritage description quoted by Coinvarieties notes that, despite the large mintage, this one-year type is scarce in fine condition. The high points of the laurel wreath and the crown above the shield show wear first; look along the border beads for Merlen's small letters on a well-preserved coin.
Proofs were struck, and the Royal Mint Museum holds one. The garter reverse that followed is described under the 1823 to 1825 shilling. Shillings from 1816 onwards remained legal tender as 5p until the end of 1990.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- The Shilling, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George IV proof shilling, 1821 (RMM 1326), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Benedetto Pistrucci, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Benedetto Pistrucci, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Jean Baptiste Merlen, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- 1821 Coin Values, George IV, Coin Hunter (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1821 shilling, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Shilling, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Shilling (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
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