Sells occasionally: 5 verified sales in the last 12 months.
¼ Guinea - George I (1718)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1718 |
| Denomination | ¼ Guinea |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 2.100g · 0.0619 t oz |
| Diameter | 16.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | John Croker |
| Rev. artist | John Croker |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate portrait of King George I right, legend around.
GEORGIVS D G M BR FR ET HIB REX F D
Crowned cruciform shields around central Garter star with sceptres bearing national emblems in angles, divided date above, legend around.
Quarter Guinea - George I market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateQuarter Guinea - George I 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BU | £470.00 🔒 | £400.00 | – | £370.00 – £470.00 | 1 | 3 | 26-11-2025 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| EF | £650.00 🔒 | £550.00 | – | £250.00 – £650.00 | 2 | 9 | 08-03-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| VF | £395.00 🔒 | £407.50 (2) | – | £90.00 – £440.00 | 1 | 22 | 07-12-2025 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| F | £480.00 🔒 | £480.00 (1) | – | £75.00 – £500.00 | 0 | 7 | 04-12-2022 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| VG | £110.00 🔒 | £110.00 (1) | – | £110.00 – £110.00 | 0 | 1 | 05-06-2011 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| AU-53 | £550.00 🔒 | £550.00 (1) | – | £300.00 – £550.00 | 1 | 2 | 07-12-2025 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| AU-55 | £380.00 🔒 | £380.00 (1) | – | £380.00 – £380.00 | 0 | 1 | 06-12-2015 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| AU-58 | £750.00 🔒 | £750.00 (1) | – | £750.00 – £750.00 | 0 | 1 | 04-09-2022 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| MS-62 | £1,050.00 🔒 | £1,050.00 (1) | – | £850.00 – £1,050.00 | 0 | 2 | 12-12-2024 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
About the 1718 Quarter Guinea - George I
The 1718 Quarter Guinea - George I is a circulating ¼ guinea coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 2.1g and measures 16mm across. Reverse design: Crowned cruciform shields around central Garter star with sceptres bearing national emblems in angles, divided date above, legend around.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1718 Quarter Guinea - George I worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1718 Quarter Guinea - George I run from £110 to £1,050 across 9 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 £186 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How many 1718 quarter guineas were made?
Wikipedia gives 37,380. It adds that many were put aside as keepsakes and many of the rest were lost, because the coin was so small. No second published figure was found to confirm the number.
Why was the quarter guinea made in 1718?
Silver had become dear and little silver coin was being struck. After the guinea was cut to 21 shillings in December 1717, the Mint made a gold coin worth a quarter guinea, five shillings and threepence, to do the work of the scarce silver crown.
How big is a George I quarter guinea?
It weighs about 2.1 grams and measures 16 mm across. Tony Clayton points out that this is the size of the silver threepence and 2 mm smaller than the modern 5p, far too small for a coin of such value.
Was the quarter guinea struck again?
Once. The coin was dropped after 1718, but rising silver prices led George III's Mint to strike it again in 1762 at the same size and weight. Wikipedia records that it met the same fate and was not repeated.
How do I identify the 1718 Quarter Guinea - George I?
Check the weight 2.1g and diameter 16mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The quarter guinea was a response to a shortage of silver coin. Early in George I's reign the price of silver had risen so far that much of the silver coinage was melted and little new silver was struck. Isaac Newton, Master of the Mint, blamed the overvalued guinea in his report of 21 September 1717, and a proclamation of 20 December 1717 cut the guinea from 21 shillings and sixpence to 21 shillings.
In 1718 the Mint added a gold coin worth a quarter of that, five shillings and threepence, roughly the value of the silver crown. Made in proportion to the guinea and half guinea, it weighed 2.1 grams and measured 16 mm. Wikipedia records that 37,380 were struck, that the public found the coin impracticably small, and that many were kept as keepsakes or lost. It was not struck again in the reign; a second attempt in 1762 under George III met the same fate.
The quarter guinea is a scaled down guinea. The obverse shows the laureate head of George I facing right with GEORGIVS D G M BR FR ET HIB REX F D: George, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith.
The reverse has four crowned shields arranged as a cross, for England and Scotland impaled, France, Ireland and the Electorate, with the Garter star at the centre and four sceptres springing from it between the shields. Two museum records give the legend as BRVN ET L DVX S R I A TH ET EL 1718, for Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. The edge is milled. John Croker engraved the dies.
Collecting notes
The quarter guinea is a single-date, single-type coin, so condition and authenticity are the main questions. Its small size makes the fine detail hard to see without a magnifier, as Wikipedia notes. Check the weight against the standard of about 2.1 grams, and look for signs of mounting or a removed loop.
Tony Clayton compares it to the silver threepence in size, and the same small module made its George III successor of 1762 equally unpopular. The George I half guinea carries the same shield and sceptre reverse on a larger flan.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Quarter guinea, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Five Shillings, Quarter Guinea and Five and Six, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Quarter-Guinea coin of George I (V&A 1618-1902), Science Museum Group, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Quarter-Guinea coin of George I (V&A 711-1908), Science Museum Group, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George I quarter-guinea, 1718 (RMM 296), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Isaac Newton, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- John Croker (engraver), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Guinea (coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
