6 Pence - George V 2nd coinage Pattern (1924)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1924 |
| Denomination | 6 Pence |
| Face value | 2.5p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 2.880g · 0.0849 t oz |
| Diameter | 19.3mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Bertram Mackennal |
| Rev. artist | George William de Saulles |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King George V left, legend around.
GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Crowned lion passant atop crown dividing date within circle, legend above, denomination below.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1924 6 Pence - George V 2nd coinage – Pattern
The 1924 6 Pence - George V 2nd coinage – Pattern is a collector 6 pence coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 2.88g and measures 19.3mm across. Reverse design: Crowned lion passant atop crown dividing date within circle, legend above, denomination below.
Common questions
How much is the 1924 6 Pence - George V 2nd coinage – Pattern worth?
No verified sale of the 1924 6 Pence - George V 2nd coinage – Pattern has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £254 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Is there a gold 1924 sixpence?
Yes, but only as a trial piece. Sovereign Rarities, citing Wilson and Rasmussen, describes three trial sixpences dated 1924 struck in gold, each numbered by hand and each of a different weight. They were never issued as currency.
Why were gold sixpences struck in 1924?
Nobody knows for certain. Sovereign Rarities says the reason is still not known and suggests, as a guess only, a link to a proposed colonial gold coinage in Africa. No Royal Mint record of their purpose was found.
How can a gold trial sixpence be identified?
The design is the ordinary 1924 sixpence, so the metal and the numbering matter. The example described by Sovereign Rarities has the number 2 stamped in front of the King's face and scratched in front of the lion, and weighs 3.06 g.
How do I identify the 1924 6 Pence - George V 2nd coinage – Pattern?
Check the weight 2.88g and diameter 19.3mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
In 1924 the sixpence was an ordinary 0.500 silver coin. This entry is something quite different: a trial striking of the same design in gold. Sovereign Rarities, citing the Wilson and Rasmussen catalogue of English patterns, records three trial sixpences of 1924 struck in gold, each individually numbered and each of a different weight: 2.89 g for number 1, 3.05 g for number 2 and 3.98 g for number 3. A fourth gold trial, numbered 4 and struck with the silver threepence dies, weighs 2.49 g.
According to the same description, the gold trials first appeared for sale in 1998 through Dolphin Coins, with a verbal provenance to the now defunct South Africa Mint Museum. The reason they were struck is not known.
The design is the normal sixpence of the time. The obverse has Bertram Mackennal's bare head of George V facing left with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX and the raised initials BM. The reverse shows a lion standing on a crown inside an inner border, dividing the date, the design the 1911 proclamation gave to both shilling and sixpence. The number 2 piece has its number stamped before the King's face and scratched in front of the lion.
Collecting notes
These are trial pieces, never issued as currency, and no mintage beyond the numbered examples is recorded. Anything offered as a gold 1924 sixpence should be checked against the weights and numbering above. For the circulating coin of the same design, see the 1920 to 1926 sixpence.
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 V 1924 gold proof pattern Sixpence, PR64, trial number 2 (catalogue description), Sovereign Rarities (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George V, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George V sixpence, 1926 (RMM 8088), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George V Nickel Trial Shilling, 1924, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining new designs for silver coins (London Gazette issue 28459, 24 January 1911), The London Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
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