1 Shilling - William IV (1831–1837)

One row for each year the 1 Shilling - William IV 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 1831 1 Shilling - William IV

The 1831 1 Shilling - William IV is a circulating 1 shilling coin issued from 1831 to 1837, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 5.66g and measures 23mm across. Reverse design: Crown above denomination within wreath, date below.

Mintage figures are recorded for 4 years between 1834 and 1837, 8,719,700 coins in all. 1837 is the scarcest date, with 479,100 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1990), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

William IV's reign began in 1830, and the shilling first appeared dated 1831 as a proof for that year's proof sets. Tony Clayton calls the 1831 a fairly scarce proof; shillings for everyday use followed from 1834 to 1837, all of one type.

Coin Hunter gives 3,223,440 for 1834, 1,449,360 for 1835, 3,567,960 for 1836 and 478,160 for 1837, the year the King died. The 1837 output was well under a fifth of 1836's, making it the scarcest currency date of the reign.

The obverse is William Wyon's engraving of the King's bare head facing right, after a bust by Sir Francis Chantrey, with the legend GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:. The Royal Mint Museum notes that Wyon's portrait of William IV was not entirely his own work because it followed Chantrey's bust, and the Mint's records credit the coin to Wyon and Jean Baptiste Merlen.

The reverse is a plain design, ONE SHILLING within a wreath with a crown above and the date below, matching the sixpence of the reign. Clayton notes that Victoria's first shillings kept the same reverse. The coin is sterling silver and the currency pieces have a milled edge.

Varieties and errors

The 1831 is a proof only, with a plain edge according to Coin Hunter. Clayton notes that the 3 in the date usually has a flat top but some proofs have a round top, so a round-topped 3 identifies a proof while a flat top does not rule one out. He adds that proofs are known for most dates.

Collecting notes

The 1837 is the date to look for, with fewer than half a million struck. Check the hair over the ear and the top of the wreath for wear, and look at the shape of the 3 on 1834 to 1836 coins.

The Royal Mint Museum records that shillings from 1816 onwards were re-denominated as 5p at decimalisation and stayed legal tender until the end of 1990. For the next reign, see Victoria's Young Head shilling.