2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait (1739–1740)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1739–1740 |
| Denomination | 2 Guineas |
| Face value | £2.1 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1891 |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 16.800g · 0.4951 t oz |
| Diameter | 32.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | John Sigismund Tanner |
| Rev. artist | John Sigismund Tanner |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Intermediate laureate portrait of King George II left, legend around.
Crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around.
2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait market value
Find this on eBay
Affiliate2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £2,600.00 🔒 | £2,600.00 (1) | – | £1,700.00 – £2,600.00 | 0 | 3 | 25-02-2025 | |
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About the 1739 2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait
The 1739 2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait is a circulating 2 guineas coin issued from 1739 to 1740, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 16.8g and measures 32mm across. Reverse design: Crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around.
It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1739 2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait worth?
The 1739 2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £2,600 in VF, the median of its verified sales. Its gold content is worth about £1,488 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How rare is the intermediate head two guineas?
No mintage is recorded. It was struck in only two years, 1739 and 1740, plus a 1740/39 overdate listed by Clayton. CoinVarieties describes the type as occasionally available, with no recorded mintage for either year.
How do I tell a 1739 intermediate head from a 1739 young head?
By the portrait. The Royal Mint notes that two different busts were used on the 1739 two guineas, the intermediate being the later. Tanner's head shows an older king than Croker's young head; compare with illustrated examples of each before buying.
Why does the edge have a chevron pattern?
To deter filing. The Royal Mint Museum says the Reverend Peter Vallavine proposed curved graining after studying filed guineas, and the Mint adopted it from 1739. Wikipedia links the change to a bold gang of guinea filers for whom a reward had been posted.
Is a George II two guineas legal tender?
No. Wikipedia records that all gold coins from before Victoria's reign were called in by Royal Proclamation on 22 November 1890 and demonetised from 28 February 1891.
How do I identify the 1739 2 Guineas - George II Intermediate portrait?
Check the weight 16.8g and diameter 32mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The intermediate head reached the two guineas in 1739, the year it first appeared on the guinea. The Royal Mint says two busts were used on the 1739 two guineas, with the intermediate head the later of the two, and it continued into 1740. Clayton lists 1739, 1740 and a 1740/39 overdate, after which no two guineas were struck until the old head of 1748.
The new portrait was needed because John Croker, Chief Engraver and maker of the young head, was 69 in 1739 and in the Royal Mint Museum's words too infirm to produce the tooling for an older George II. The work went to John Sigismund Tanner, who succeeded Croker on his death in 1741. No mintage is recorded; the Royal Mint notes only that 283,854 pounds' worth of gold of all denominations was coined in 1739.
The obverse is Tanner's intermediate laureate head facing left. Sources differ on the legend: Wikipedia spells it GEORGIUS for 1739 and 1740, while the Royal Mint's description of a 1739 coin reads GEORGIVS.
The reverse continues the crowned shield of the reign, quartering England and Scotland, France, Hanover and Ireland, with the date split by the crown and M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E around. The Royal Mint Museum credits the shield to John Ochs.
The edge marks a change. Wikipedia and Clayton record that from 1739, after a gang of guinea filers had been at work, the diagonal graining gave way to a chevron or arrowhead pattern. The Royal Mint Museum attributes the idea to the Reverend Peter Vallavine.
Varieties and errors
Clayton lists a 1740/39 overdate, a 1740 coin struck from a die first cut for 1739. No other varieties are documented.
Collecting notes
On a 1739 coin, identify the portrait first, since the young head two guineas shares the date. Examine the chevron graining: it should be crisp and continuous, and any smooth or filed section points to tampering. Clayton warns of modern forgeries of George II two guineas, naming 1739 among the dates most affected, so weight and lettering are worth checking against a genuine example.
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 II, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- 1739 George II Intermediate Head Two Guinea, The Royal Mint (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George II 1739 Guinea, First Year For The Intermediate Bust, The Royal Mint (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Two guineas (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Double Sovereign and Two Guineas, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Values of Two Pounds and Two Guineas, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1739 2 guineas Fr-336c, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1740 2 guineas, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
