Free Tool · No Account Needed

UK Coin Identifier

Found a coin and not sure what it is? Answer four short questions, measure a worn coin, or type what you know, and we'll match it to our catalogue of 7,000+ United Kingdom coins, with realised auction values on every match.

Issued by: United Kingdom UK plus Crown Dependencies and territories Ireland
  1. Step 1Portrait
  2. Step 2Denomination
  3. Step 3Year
  4. Step 4Finish
  5. Step 5Match
← Back to step 2
Identifying: Hammered and earlier 1 Farthing · Start over

Step 3, What year was it minted?

The year sits beneath the portrait on the obverse. If the date is worn, pick the closest decade, or switch to the measure path and identify it from diameter and weight instead.

1029 1030 1031 1032 1033 1034 1035 1180 2 variants 1181 1182 1183 1184 1185 1186 1187 1188 1189 1205 1206 1207 1216 1217 1218 2 variants 1219 2 variants 1220 2 variants 1221 2 variants 1222 2 variants 1223 2 variants 1224 2 variants 1225 2 variants 1226 2 variants 1227 2 variants 1228 2 variants 1229 2 variants 1230 2 variants 1231 2 variants 1232 2 variants 1233 2 variants 1234 2 variants 1235 2 variants 1236 2 variants 1237 2 variants 1238 2 variants 1239 2 variants 1240 2 variants 1241 2 variants 1242 2 variants 1243 2 variants 1244 2 variants 1245 2 variants 1246 2 variants 1247 2 variants 1250 1251 1252 1253 1254 1255 1256 1257 1258 1259 1260 1261 1262 1263 1264 1265 1266 1267 1268 1269 1270 1271 1272 1279 2 variants 1280 5 variants 1281 3 variants 1282 2 variants 1283 2 variants 1284 2 variants 1285 2 variants 1286 2 variants 1287 1288 1289 2 variants 1290 1291 1292 1293 1294 2 variants 1295 2 variants 1296 2 variants 1297 1298 1299 3 variants 1300 2 variants 1301 3 variants 1302 1303 1304 1305 1307 1308 1309 1310 1311 1312 1313 1314 1315 1316 1317 1318 1319 2 variants 1320 2 variants 1321 2 variants 1322 2 variants 1323 2 variants 1324 2 variants 1325 2 variants 1326 2 variants 1327 3 variants 1328 2 variants 1329 2 variants 1330 3 variants 1331 3 variants 1332 3 variants 1333 3 variants 1334 3 variants 1335 4 variants 1336 1337 1338 1339 1340 1341 1342 1343 1344 1345 1346 1347 1348 1349 1350 1351 1361 1362 1363 1364 1365 1366 1367 1368 1369 1377 2 variants 1378 2 variants 1379 2 variants 1380 2 variants 1381 2 variants 1382 2 variants 1383 2 variants 1384 2 variants 1385 2 variants 1386 2 variants 1387 2 variants 1388 2 variants 1389 2 variants 1390 2 variants 1391 2 variants 1392 2 variants 1393 2 variants 1394 2 variants 1395 2 variants 1396 2 variants 1397 2 variants 1398 2 variants 1399 3 variants 1400 1401 1402 1403 1404 1405 1406 1407 1408 1409 1410 1411 1412 1413 1414 1415 1416 1417 1418 1419 1420 1421 1422 1430 1431 1461 1462 1463 1464 1466 1467 1470 2 variants 1471 2 variants 1472 2 variants 1473 2 variants 1474 2 variants 1475 2 variants 1476 2 variants 1477 2 variants 1478 2 variants 1479 2 variants 1480 2 variants 1483 1484 1485 2 variants 1486 1487 1488 1489 1490 1491 1492 1493 1494 1495 1496 1497 1498 1499 1500 1501 1502 1503 1504 1505 1506 1507 1508 1509 2 variants 1510 1511 1512 1513 1514 1515 1516 1517 1518 1519 1520 1521 1522 1523 1524 1525 1526 2 variants 1527 1528 1529 1530 1531 1532 1533 1534 1535 1536 1537 1538 1539 1540 1541 1542 1543 1544 1613 2 variants 1614 4 variants 1615 2 variants 1616 4 variants 1617 2 variants 1618 2 variants 1619 2 variants 1620 2 variants 1621 2 variants 1622 4 variants 1623 4 variants 1624 2 variants 1625 4 variants 1626 1627 1628 1629 1630 1631 3 variants 1632 5 variants 1633 4 variants 1634 3 variants 1635 1636 7 variants 1637 3 variants 1638 4 variants 1639 5 variants 1640 4 variants 1641 4 variants 1642 4 variants 1643 5 variants 1644 1649 1650 1651 1652 1653 1654 1655 1656 1657 2 variants 1658 2 variants 1659 1660 1661 1662

How the identifier works

The question path narrows the catalogue one attribute at a time: portrait (which fixes the monarch and reign), denomination, year, and finish. The measure path ranks every catalogued coin by how close its official diameter and weight sit to your measurements, with shape and colour to separate look-alikes, which works even when the coin is worn smooth. The text path reads a year, a denomination, a design or a nickname the way site search does. Every path shows circulation strikes first and folds the proofs and finishes of the same coin underneath, each linking to a full coin page with realised auction prices, mintage figures, rarity scores and reference images. Every result is a real coin in the catalogue.

Frequently asked

How accurate is this coin identifier?
It is a structured search of our 7,000+ catalogued British coins. Answer the portrait, denomination and year correctly and the tool narrows to the exact coin or a small handful of variants, with circulation strikes shown first and proofs folded underneath. For ambiguous coins (mules, errors, patterns) the result page links to the relevant guides.
What if I don't know the year?
The year is normally beneath the portrait on the obverse. If it has worn away, use "Measure it": diameter, weight, shape and colour usually narrow a dateless coin to a few candidates, and each card shows the years that coin was struck.
How do I identify a coin that is too worn to read?
Switch to the "Measure it" tab. Measure the diameter in millimetres with a ruler or calipers, weigh it in grams if you have scales, and note the shape and colour. The identifier ranks every catalogued coin by physical closeness, and a coin with no recorded diameter can still match on its weight.
How accurately do I need to measure?
The diameter search allows about a millimetre either way (less on small coins, more on crowns) and weight allows 12%, so a household ruler and kitchen scales are fine. Calipers and 0.01 g scales narrow the results further. Weigh the coin clean and dry; heavy wear can remove a few percent of the original weight.
What if it is not a British coin?
The identifier covers the United Kingdom by default, including pre-1707 England and Scotland. Switch the issuer control to add Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and the sterling territories, or to Ireland. For other countries, Numista is the place to start.
Can I identify a coin from a photo?
Not here. Apps such as CoinSnap and Coinoscope identify coins from a photo; come back with the name and the value is on the coin page. Google image search is unreliable for coins: a worn penny often comes back as a token, a medal or a foreign coin.
Does this work for Roman or ancient coins?
No. This identifier is scoped to British coinage from the hammered era to the present, plus the Crown Dependencies, the territories and Ireland. For Roman, Anglo-Saxon or other ancient coinage, the British Museum and the Portable Antiquities Scheme are the right starting points.
Is this a free service?
Yes, completely free with no account required. If you want to track the coins you find, free MyCoinage accounts let you save up to 25 coins to a personal collection.
What if my coin is fake?
Several common UK coins are widely counterfeited, most notably the Kew Gardens 50p and the £1 coin pre-2017. Once you have a match, our individual coin pages flag the common counterfeit tells and show genuine reference images.

Other free tools

Weight identifier Every UK coin weight in grams, and a scale-reading lookup Diameter identifier Match a ruler or calliper reading to a coin Change Hunter Tick off every UK coin you find in your change UK coins by year Every coin minted in any year, 1700 to 2026 Silver melt calculator Live spot value of any UK silver coin Grading guide UK coin grades, with photo references
WatchWhy Is The UK 2 Pence Coin So Big? A Rambling Look At British CurrencyTour of British coin designs, sizes and features (Atomic Shrimp) Video: Atomic Shrimp on YouTube