4 Pence - William IV Pattern (1836)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1836 |
| Denomination | 4 Pence |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Gold |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Francis Chantrey, William Wyon |
| Rev. artist | William Wyon |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Right effigy of King William IV surrounded by the inscription "GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:".This is an automatic translation. The original text is:Effigie droite du roi Guillaume IV entourée de l'inscription "GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:".
GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Seated Britannia surrounded by a "4" on the left, a "P" on the right and the year below.This is an automatic translation. The original text is:Britannia assise entourée d'un "4" à gauche, un "P" à doite et le millésime en dessous.
4 P
4 Pence - William IV Pattern market value
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Affiliate4 Pence - William IV Pattern price history
Daily limit reached4 Pence - William IV Pattern 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDC | £950.00 🔒 | £950.00 (1) | – | £950.00 – £950.00 | 0 | 1 | 04-09-2011 | |
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| UNC | £900.00 🔒 | £900.00 (1) | – | £900.00 – £900.00 | 0 | 1 | 04-03-2012 | |
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| VF | £28.38 🔒 | £30.96 (2) | – | £28.38 – £33.54 | 0 | 2 | 06-06-2024 | |
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| MS-63 | £114.38 🔒 | £114.38 (1) | – | £114.38 – £114.38 | 0 | 1 | 27-02-2021 | |
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About the 1836 4 Pence - William IV Pattern
The 1836 4 Pence - William IV Pattern is a collector 4 pence coin, struck in gold. Reverse design: Seated Britannia surrounded by a "4" on the left, a "P" on the right and the year below.This is an automatic translation. The original text is:Britannia assise entourée d'un "4" à gauche, un "P" à doite et le millésime en dessous.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1836 4 Pence - William IV Pattern worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1836 4 Pence - William IV Pattern run from £30.96 to £950 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
What is the 1836 pattern groat?
A trial piece made while the Royal Mint prepared the new circulating fourpence of 1836. It has William IV's portrait and a seated Britannia, but the value is shown as 4 P. The issued coin spelled out FOUR PENCE instead.
How many 1836 pattern groats were made?
No number struck is recorded. The Royal Mint Museum holds an example in silver, weighing 1.87 g with a milled edge, which was already listed in the Mint's own collection catalogues of 1874 and 1906.
Did the 4 P pattern groat ever circulate?
No. It was a design trial. The groat proclaimed legal tender in February 1836 carries FOUR PENCE around Britannia with the date in the exergue, and that is the version struck in millions for 1836 and 1837.
History and design
In 1836 the Royal Mint revived the fourpence as an everyday coin, after the MP Joseph Hume argued that fourpence was the London cab fare for a short journey. Wikipedia records that a proclamation of 3 February 1836 made the new groat legal tender. Before the design was settled, the Mint struck patterns to try out different ways of showing the value.
This piece is one of them. Instead of the words FOUR PENCE, its reverse reads simply 4 P. The Royal Mint Museum's example is silver, weighs 1.87 g and has a milled edge, and it was already listed in the Mint's collection catalogues of 1874 and 1906.
The obverse is the same as the issued groat: 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 portraits of William IV were based on Chantrey's work.
The reverse shows Wyon's seated Britannia facing right with her trident and shield, with the value given as 4 P and the date. On the adopted coin the value was spelled out as FOUR PENCE around the figure, with the date moved into the exergue. The Mint also kept 1836 patterns reading FOUR PENCE., with a stop after the value, one with a plain edge and one milled.
Collecting notes
No number struck is recorded for this pattern. Check that an example really reads 4 P rather than FOUR PENCE, and confirm the metal and weight: the documented piece is silver at 1.87 g. A worn coin is very unlikely to be a pattern.
The issued coin is the William IV Britannia groat of 1836 and 1837.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- William IV pattern groat, 1836 (RMM 134), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- William IV groat reverse electrotype, 1836 (RMM 131), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- William Wyon, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Fourpence (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- William IV pattern groats, 1836 (RMM 132 and 133), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
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