1 Shilling - George VI Scottish crest without 'IND:IMP' (1949–1951)

One row for each year the 1 Shilling - George VI Scottish crest – without 'IND:IMP' was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 1949 1 Shilling - George VI Scottish crest – without 'IND:IMP'

The 1949 1 Shilling - George VI Scottish crest – without 'IND:IMP' is a circulating 1 shilling coin issued from 1949 to 1951, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 5.66g and measures 23.5mm across. Reverse design: Crowned lion seated atop crown holding sword and sceptre dividing date, shields flank, legend above, denomination below.

A mintage of 21,243,074 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1990), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

Until 1948 the shilling legend described George VI as Emperor of India. A proclamation of 22 June 1948 removed Indiae Imperator from the royal title, and new coin designs without IND IMP took effect on 1 January 1949. Wikipedia's florin article links the change to India's independence.

This was the third Scottish shilling of the reign, after the silver coins of 1937 to 1946 and the cupro-nickel pieces of 1947 and 1948. Coin Hunter and Wikipedia agree on 21,243,074 for 1949 and 10,961,174 for 1951, and differ by 13 coins for 1950 (14,299,601 against 14,299,614). In both 1949 and 1951 more Scottish shillings were struck than English ones, which reversed the usual pattern of the silver years.

The series stopped with 1951. Tony Clayton writes that the high demand for nickel during the Korean War meant no shillings dated 1952 were issued, and the only 1952 shillings he records are English proofs.

The reverse shows the Royal Crest of Scotland, as the proclamation of December 1948 lays down, with FID DEF, ONE SHILLING and the date. Clayton describes a lion facing the viewer and holding a sword and sceptre, flanked by a St Andrew's cross and a thistle. The design is George Kruger Gray's, but Wikipedia's article on him says the reworked 1949 layout dropped his KG initials.

On the obverse is Humphrey Paget's uncrowned head of the King facing left, signed HP below the neck. The Royal Mint Museum notes that it has been described as the classic coinage head of the 20th century. The legend reads GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX and the edge is milled.

Collecting notes

1951 is the lowest date of the type, while 1949 was struck in the largest numbers. Clayton lists proofs for 1950 and 1951 as well as the ordinary coins. The legend separates this type from the earlier Scottish shilling with IND IMP, and the English crest version of the same years has its own page.

No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. These shillings could be spent as 5p for nearly twenty years after decimalisation, and the Royal Mint Museum records that they remained in circulation until 31 December 1990.