2 Guineas - George II Older portrait (1748–1753)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1748–1753 |
| 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) |
Older laureate portrait of King George II left, legend around.
Crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around.
M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1748 2 Guineas - George II Older portrait
The 1748 2 Guineas - George II Older portrait is a circulating 2 guineas coin issued from 1748 to 1753, 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It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.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 1748 2 Guineas - George II Older portrait worth?
No verified sale of the 1748 2 Guineas - George II Older portrait has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,483 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Was the 1753 two guineas the last ever made?
The last for circulation. Wikipedia and Clayton record no two guineas after 1753. Under George III the Mint produced only patterns, by John Sigismund Tanner for 1768, 1770 and 1773 and by Richard Yeo for 1777, made in small numbers.
How many old head two guineas were struck?
No mintage is recorded for either year. CoinVarieties describes both 1748 and 1753 as rare, and a Stack's Bowers cataloguer it quotes noted only two 1748 coins in the PCGS census at the time.
Are there fakes of the 1748 two guineas?
Clayton warns of modern forgeries of the George II two guineas and names 1748 among the dates most affected, with 1738 and 1739. Check the weight, the chevron edge graining and the crispness of the lettering against a known genuine coin.
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 1748 2 Guineas - George II Older 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
After 1740 no two guineas were struck for eight years. The denomination returned in 1748 with the old head of George II and was struck once more in 1753, and Wikipedia records that these were the last two guineas made for currency. Clayton notes that very few two guineas were issued at all once the guinea had been fixed at 21 shillings in 1717.
No mintage survives for either year. CoinVarieties describes both dates as rare, and the Royal Mint Museum holds a 1748 example weighing 16.66 g with a grained edge. Under George III the Mint went no further than patterns: Wikipedia credits John Sigismund Tanner with trials for 1768, 1770 and 1773 and his assistant Richard Yeo with one for 1777.
The obverse is the old laureate head facing left. The Royal Mint Museum records that by 1739 the ageing John Croker could no longer cut new portrait dies, so the older portraits of George II were the work of Tanner, who became Chief Engraver in 1741.
The reverse is the single crowned shield used throughout the reign, which the Royal Mint Museum credits to John Ochs. It quarters the arms of England and Scotland, France, Hanover and Ireland, reflecting the king's role as Elector of Hanover, with the date split by the crown and the legend M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E. The edge carries the chevron graining introduced in 1739 against filing.
Collecting notes
Clayton warns of modern forgeries of George II two guineas and names 1748 among the dates most affected. Buy from a reliable source, and check weight, the run of the chevron graining and the sharpness of the lettering against a known genuine coin.
Only two dates make up the type, and both are scarce. The earlier portraits are the young head two guineas of 1734 to 1739 and the intermediate head of 1739 and 1740.
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)
- Two guineas (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Double Sovereign and Two Guineas, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George II two guineas, 1748 (RMM 465), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1753 2 guineas, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1748 2 guineas, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Values of Two Pounds and Two Guineas, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
