6 Pence - George IV 3rd reverse (1826–1829)

One row for each year the 6 Pence - George IV 3rd reverse 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 1826 6 Pence - George IV 3rd reverse

The 1826 6 Pence - George IV 3rd reverse is a circulating 6 pence coin issued from 1826 to 1829, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 2.83g and measures 19mm across. Reverse design: © Heritage Auctions.

Mintage figures are recorded for 4 years between 1826 and 1829, 1,275,000 coins in all. 1828 is the scarcest date, with 15,800 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1980), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

George IV's sixpence changed twice. A laureate head with a crowned shield came first in 1821, then a shield in the Garter from 1824. In 1826 the portrait and reverse were replaced together, as Tony Clayton notes, giving this third type, struck for 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829 in sterling silver at 2.83 g.

The new portrait followed a dispute at the Mint. The Royal Mint Museum records that Benedetto Pistrucci, who had engraved the king's first portrait, declined to copy a bust by the sculptor Francis Chantrey. William Wyon engraved the new head instead. Mintages fell sharply: Coin Hunter gives 689,040 for 1826 (which Coinvarieties says includes the Garter type), 166,320 for 1827, just 15,840 for 1828 and 403,290 for 1829.

The obverse has Wyon's bare head of the king facing left with GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA and the date below. The king had disliked Pistrucci's laureate portrait, and Chantrey's bare head, as engraved by Wyon, replaced it.

The reverse shows a lion standing on a crown, with the national flowers below and BRITANNIARUM REX FIDEI DEFENSOR around. The Royal Mint Museum names Wyon as its author and counts the lion sixpences and shillings among his best designs, and notes that John Ruskin admired the 'lion shillings', which carry the same design. The edge is milled.

Collecting notes

The lion's mane and the top of the king's hair are the first places to wear. Check the date carefully: 1828 is the low mintage year and 1827 is also scarce. On 1826 coins make sure of the type, since the laureate Garter type shares the date.

Proofs were struck in 1826 for that year's proof sets, and Coinvarieties also notes proofs of 1829. Sixpences remained legal tender until 30 June 1980.