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½ Guinea - George III 4th portrait (1775–1786)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1775–1786 |
| Denomination | ½ Guinea |
| Face value | 52.5p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1891 |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 4.200g · 0.1238 t oz |
| Diameter | 20.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth laureate portrait of King George III right, legend around.
GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA
Ornate 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
Half Guinea - George III market value
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AffiliateHalf Guinea - George III 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £1,400.00 🔒 | £1,400.00 (1) | – | £1,400.00 – £1,400.00 | 1 | 1 | 07-12-2025 | |
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| EF | £1,100.00 🔒 | £1,100.00 (1) | – | £600.00 – £1,100.00 | 1 | 2 | 08-03-2026 | |
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| F | £500.00 🔒 | £500.00 (1) | – | £140.00 – £500.00 | 0 | 6 | 03-03-2024 | |
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| VG | £240.00 🔒 | £240.00 (1) | – | £240.00 – £240.00 | 0 | 1 | 02-06-2013 | |
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About the 1775 Half Guinea - George III
The 1775 Half Guinea - George III is a circulating ½ guinea coin issued from 1775 to 1786, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 4.2g and measures 20mm across. Reverse design: Ornate 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It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.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 1775 Half Guinea - George III worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1775 Half Guinea - George III run from £240 to £1,400 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one. Its gold content is worth about £372 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
What years have the fourth portrait half guinea?
1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1781, 1783, 1784, 1785 and 1786, according to Tony Clayton; CoinVarieties gives the portrait's run as 1775 to 1786. No half guineas are dated 1780 or 1782. In 1787 the spade shield reverse and a fifth portrait replaced it.
How many fourth portrait half guineas were made?
No mintage figure survives for any date of this type; CoinVarieties records the mintage as unknown. Tony Clayton does not include any date of this portrait among the scarce George III half guineas, which he names as 1774 and 1805.
Is there a proof 1775 half guinea?
Yes. The Royal Mint Museum holds a 1775 proof half guinea with a plain edge, weighing 4.7 g (Wilson and Rasmussen 129). Hocking's 1906 catalogue of the collection lists it among the patterns, with the bust's long hair curling under the truncation and a love-lock over the shoulder.
Is a George III half guinea legal tender?
No. All gold coins struck before Queen Victoria's reign were called in by a royal proclamation of 22 November 1890 and ceased to be legal tender from 28 February 1891.
How do I identify the 1775 Half Guinea - George III?
Check the weight 4.2g and diameter 20mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The fourth portrait half guinea was struck from 1775 to 1786. Tony Clayton lists the dates 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1781, 1783, 1784, 1785 and 1786, with no half guineas dated 1780 or 1782. It arrived in the year after the great gold recoinage of 1774, in which almost 20 million worn guineas of William III and Queen Anne were melted down and recoined as guineas and half guineas.
This was the last half guinea with the ornate crowned shield that had served since 1761; in 1787 the spade shield took its place. No mintage figure survives for any date.
The obverse shows a more mature laureate head of George III facing right, with GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA. The Royal Mint Museum notes that the new portraits needed in the 1770s came not from Richard Yeo but from Thomas and Lewis Pingo; Lewis Pingo became Chief Engraver in 1779.
The reverse is the ornate crowned shield quartering England and Scotland, France, Ireland and Hanover, with M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E and the date.
Varieties and errors
A 1775 proof with a plain edge exists. The Royal Mint Museum's example weighs 4.7 g, and Hocking's 1906 catalogue lists it among the patterns, describing long hair curling under the truncation and a love-lock over the left shoulder.
Collecting notes
The 1775 date was also struck with the third portrait, so compare the head before attributing a 1775 coin. The type ran for ten dates, far longer than the third portrait, which Clayton and CoinVarieties treat as a rarity.
Copper imitations exist: the Fitzwilliam Museum holds a copper imitation half guinea dated 1782, a year with no genuine half guineas, and Hocking lists copper patterns of 1782 in the Mint's own collection. Like all gold struck before Victoria, the coin was called in by proclamation of 22 November 1890 and demonetised from 28 February 1891.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Half guinea, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Catalogue of the Coins, Tokens, Medals, Dies and Seals in the Museum of the Royal Mint, Vol. I Part I (Hocking, 1906), page 163, Nos. 1784 to 1786, Royal Mint Museum library (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Coins of the UK: Ten Shillings and Half Guinea, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Coins of the UK: values of half guineas and half sovereigns (date listing), Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Catalogue of the Coins, Tokens, Medals, Dies and Seals in the Museum of the Royal Mint, Vol. I Part I (Hocking, 1906), page 162, Nos. 1779 to 1781, Royal Mint Museum library (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1776 1/2 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III proof half-guinea, 1775 (RMM 961), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Half guinea, AE imitation of George III half guinea, 1782, The Fitzwilliam Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Lewis Pingo, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
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