2 Guineas - George III Pattern (1777)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1777 |
| Denomination | 2 Guineas |
| Face value | £2.1 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 16.700g · 0.4922 t oz |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Richard Yeo |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Thinner, young laureate bust of King George III right, legend around.
Ornate crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1777 2 Guineas - George III Pattern
The 1777 2 Guineas - George III Pattern is a collector 2 guineas coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 16.7g. Reverse design: Ornate crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1777 2 Guineas - George III Pattern worth?
No verified sale of the 1777 2 Guineas - George III Pattern has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,475 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Who made the 1777 pattern two guineas?
Richard Yeo, according to Wikipedia, which calls him Tanner's assistant; Heritage catalogues the piece as by or after Yeo. The Royal Mint Museum records that Yeo was formally made Chief Engraver in 1768 and died in office in 1779.
How many 1777 pattern two guineas exist?
No number struck is recorded. Heritage, quoted by CoinVarieties, says Wilson and Rasmussen rate it R5, which Heritage glosses as 6 to 10 known. The Royal Mint Museum holds one, weighing 16.68 g with a plain edge.
Was a two guineas coin issued in 1777?
No. The Royal Mint Museum states that no two-guinea or five-guinea pieces were issued under George III, although patterns exist. The 1777 piece was the last of the reign's two guinea patterns.
How do I identify the 1777 2 Guineas - George III Pattern?
Check the weight 16.7g and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
George III's Mint returned several times to the idea of a two guinea piece without ever issuing one. The Royal Mint Museum states plainly that no two-guinea or five-guinea pieces were issued in the reign, although patterns exist. Tanner's trials of 1768 to 1773 were followed by this final pattern of 1777, which Wikipedia attributes to Richard Yeo.
Heritage's cataloguers, quoted by CoinVarieties, put the failure down to the overvaluation of gold in 18th-century Britain, which left gold as the only coinage in domestic use while silver and copper went abroad. No number struck is recorded. Wilson and Rasmussen rate the 1777 as R5, 6 to 10 known.
The obverse carries a laureate head of the king facing right and the reverse a crowned shield of arms, in the manner of the other gold of the reign. Heritage describes the strike as proof, with mirrored fields and frosted design.
Yeo had been the Mint's Assistant Engraver from 1749 and, the Royal Mint Museum says, was effectively acting as Chief Engraver before he was formally appointed in 1768. His original work on the currency coinage was limited, and he is remembered mainly as a medallist and a founding member of the Royal Academy. A matching pattern five guineas of 1777 is also in the Royal Mint Museum's collection.
Collecting notes
The Royal Mint Museum's example (RMM 940) weighs 16.68 g with a plain edge, a useful benchmark for any piece offered. Heritage traced the pedigree of its own example through named collections back to an auction of 1881.
The earlier patterns of the reign are the 1768 and 1773 two guineas.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Two guineas (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1777 2 guineas, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III pattern two guineas, 1777 (RMM 940), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III pattern five guineas, 1777 (RMM 937), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
