Rare British Coins

Coins

This is a British penny commemorating George V in 1933. Coined in bronze with a weight of 9.4 grams and a diameter of 31 mm, this rare coin shows the bust of the King on the front with the legend GEORGIVS V DEI GRA:BRITT:OMN:REX FID:DEF:IND:IMP and Britain sitting on the reverse with the value ONE PENNY and the date of 1933 on the back. These are rare Foreign Coins to look for. In this video we look at foreign coins worth money. These are Great Britain one penny coins and half penny coins wi.

  • Check out our rare british coin selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our coins & money shops.
  • Find out more: the rarest and most valuable coins and notes in circulation; Rare 50p coins. While pennies are in the headlines at the moment, the most collectible coins tend to be 50ps. Coin enthusiasts know to keep an eye out for the Kew Gardens 50p. With just 210,000 in circulation, each of these can sell for over £150.

List of British banknotes and coins, with commonly used terms.

Coins[edit]

Pre-decimal[edit]

Rare British Coins

Prior to decimalisation in 1971, there were 12 pence (written as 12d) in a shilling (written as 1s or 1/-) and 20 shillings in a pound, written as £1 (occasionally 'L' was used instead of the pound sign, £). There were therefore 240 pence in a pound. For example, 2 pounds 14 shillings and 5 pence could have been written as £2 14s 5d or £2 14/5.

The value of some coins fluctuated, particularly in the reigns of James I and Charles I. The value of a guinea fluctuated between 20 and 30 shillings before being fixed at 21 shillings in December 1717. These are denominations of British, or earlier English, coins – Scottish coins had different values.

CoinPre-decimalisation valuePost-decimalisation valueDates of useNotes
Mite[1]124d; see notes£0.0001736; see notesTudor dates, back to Anglo-Saxon England, at least.In Tudor times, mites weren't minted but were used in accounting; one mite was one twenty-fourth of a penny or one sixth of a farthing.[2] In older times, a mite could be worth half a farthing or ​18d;[3] or about one-third of a farthing or about ​112d[4]
Quarter farthing116d£0.000261839–1868.see note 1 below
Third farthing112d£0.00034721827–1913.see note 1 below
Half farthing18d£0.000520831828–1868.see note 1 below
Farthing14d£0.00104167c. 1200–1960.The word 'farthing' means 'fourth part' (of a penny).
Halfpenny12d£0.00211272–1969.Often called a 'ha'penny' (pronounced HAY-p'nee), plural halfpennies ('ha'pennies') for the coins, halfpence ('ha'pence') for the monetary amount.
Three farthings34d£0.00311561–1582.
One penny1d£0.0042757–1970 (and thereafter only for Maundy).Commonly called a 'copper'; plural 'pennies' for the coins, 'pence' for the monetary amount
Three halfpence112d£0.00631561–1582, 1834–1870.see note 1 below. Pronounced as 'three-ha'pence'
Half groat2d£0.00831351–1662.
Twopence2d£0.0083silver 1668–current (for Maundy); copper 1797–1798.Pronounced 'tuppence'.
Threepence3d£0.0125silver 1547–1945 (and thereafter only for Maundy), nickel-brass 1937–1970.Sometimes called 'thripp'nce', 'thrupp'nce', 'threpp'nce' or 'thripp'ny bit', 'thrupp'ny bit'. Referred to as a 'joey' after the groat was no longer in circulation, as featured in George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
Groat4d£0.0167silver 1279–1662, 1836–1862 (and thereafter only for Maundy).Referred to as a 'joey' after Joseph Hume, the economist and Member of Parliament until it stopped being issued in 1885.[5]
Sixpence6d£0.0251547–1970; circulated from 1971 to 1980 with a value of two and a half decimal pence.Also called 'tanner', sometimes 'tilbury',[6] or 'joey' after the groat was no longer in circulation.[citation needed]
Shilling1/-£0.051502–1970, circulated from 1971 to 1990 with a value of five decimal pence.Also called a 'bob', in singular or plural.
Quarter florin or helm1/6£0.0751344Gold coin demonetized within one year. see note 2 below
Gold penny1/8 to 2/-£0.0833 to £0.11257–1265.Gold. Undervalued for its metal content and extremely rare.
Quarter noble1/8£0.08331344–1470.
Quarter angel2/-£0.11547–1600.Gold.
Florin or two shillings2/-£0.11848–1970, circulated from 1971 to 1993 with a value of ten decimal pence.see note 2 below
Half crown2/6£0.1251526–1969.Sometimes known as 'half a dollar' (see Crown below).
Half florin or leopard3/-£0.151344Gold; extremely rare. see note 2 below
Half noble3/4 to 4/2£0.1667 to £0.2083minted 1346–1438.increased in value in 1464
Half angel3/4, later 5/6£0.1667, later £0.2751470–1619.
Double florin4/-£0.21887–1890.Silver. see note 2 below
Crown of the rose4/6£0.2251526–1551.
Crown5/-£0.251526–1965.Sometimes known as 'a dollar' – from the 1940s when the exchange rate was four USD to the GBP.
Quarter guinea5/3£0.26251718, 1762.
Florin or double leopard6/-£0.31344.Gold; demonetized within one year. see note 2 below
Noble6/8, later 8/4£0.3333, later £0.41671344–1464.Increased in value in 1464.
Angel6/8£0.33331461–1643.
Half mark6/8£0.333[medieval period]A unit of account, not a coin. Convenient as it was exactly one-third of a pound.
Third guinea7/-£0.351797–1813.
Rose noble or ryal10/-, later 15/-£0.5, later £0.751464–1470, 1487, 1553–1603.Increased in value from 1553.
Half sovereign10/-£0.51544–1553; 1603–1604; 1817–1937A bullion coin since 1980.
Halfpound10/-£0.51559–1602; 1642–1644
Double crown10/-£0.51604–1619; 1625–1662.
Half laurel10/-£0.51619–1625.
Half unite10/-£0.51642–1643.
Half guinea10/6£0.5251669–1813.
Mark13/4£0.667[medieval period]A unit of account not a coin, but widely used.
Spur ryal15/-£0.751604–1625.
Sovereign20/-£11489–1604; 1817–1937A bullion coin since 1957.
Unite20/-£11604–1619; 1649–1662.
Laurel20/-£11619–1644?
Carolus20/-, later 23/-£1, later £1.15reign of Charles I.
Broad20/-£11656.
Guinea21/-£1.051663–1799, 1813.
Rose Ryal30/-£1.501604–1625.
Two pounds40/-£21823–1937.Gold; 'double sovereign'.
Two guineas or double guineaoriginally 40/-, later 42/-originally £2, later £2.101664–1753.Originally known as a 'forty-shilling piece'; value changed to forty-two shillings after the Proclamation of 1717 finally settled the value of a guinea.
Fifty shillings50/-£2.501656.
Triple unite60/-£31642–1644.
Five pounds100/-£51826–1990.Gold.
Five guineasoriginally 100/-, later 105/-originally £5, later £5.251668–1753.Originally known and valued as five pounds, but became five guineas when the guinea was standardised at one pound and one shilling in 1717.
Visualisation of some British currency terms before decimalisation
Rare British Coins

Notes:

  • Denomination issued for use in the colonies, usually in Ceylon, Malta, and the West Indies, but normally counted as part of the British coinage.
  • The medieval florin, half florin, and quarter florin were gold coins intended to circulate in Europe as well as in England and were valued at much more than the Victorian and later florin and double florin. The medieval florins were withdrawn within a year because they contained insufficient gold for their face value and thus were unacceptable to merchants.
  • 1915 half sovereign

  • 1560–61 halfpound, one of the first English milled coins

  • 1740 Two guineas

Decimal[edit]

Since decimalisation on 'Decimal Day' in 1971, the pound has been divided into 100 pence. Originally the term 'new pence' was used; the word 'new' was dropped from the coinage in 1983. The old shilling equated to five (new) pence, and, for example, £2 10s 6d became ​£2.5212. The symbol for the (old) penny, 'd', was replaced by 'p' (or initially sometimes 'np', for new pence). Thus 72 pence can be written as £0.72 or 72p; both were commonly read as 'seventy-two pee'.

Post-decimalisation British coins.
NameValueNotes
Half penny12pSometimes written 'ha'penny' (pronounced HAY-p'nee), but normally called a 'half-pee'; demonetised and withdrawn from circulation in December 1984.
One penny 1p
Two pence 2p
Five pence 5pA direct replacement for the shilling. The coin was reduced in size in 1990.
Six pence6pMinted uniquely in 2016 as a commemorative coin.[7]
Ten pence 10pA replacement for the florin (two shillings). The coin was reduced in size in 1992.
Twenty pence 20pIntroduced in 1982.
Twenty-five pence 25pA commemorative coin issued between 1972 and 1981 as a post-decimal continuation of the old crown. From 1990 it was replaced in the commemorative role by the £5 coin.
Fifty pence 50pIntroduced in 1969, just prior to decimalisation, to replace the ten shilling note ('ten bob note'). It was initially sometimes called a 'ten bob bit'. The coin was reduced in size in 1997.
One pound£1Introduced in 1983 to replace the one pound note.
Sovereign£1Gold bullion coins, available in four other sizes too: quarter sovereign (25p), half sovereign (£​12), double sovereign (£2) and quintuple sovereign (£5).
Two pounds£2Issued as a commemorative coin from 1986 and in general circulation from 1998 (dated from 1997).
Britanniavarious valuesGold and silver bullion coins, either one — or multiples, or fractions of — troy ounces.
Five pounds£5Introduced in 1990 as a commemorative coin, as a continuation of the old crown, replacing the commemorative role of the twenty-five pence coin.
The Valiant£10Bullion / collectors' coins issued in 2018 and 2019; 10 troy ounces of silver.[8]
Twenty pounds£20Introduced in 2013 as a commemorative coin.[9]
Fifty pounds£50Introduced in 2015 as a commemorative coin.[10]
One hundred pounds£100Introduced in 2015 as a commemorative coin.[11]

Banknotes[edit]

Main articles: Banknotes of the pound sterling and Bank of England note issues.

Note: The description of banknotes given here relates to notes issued by the Bank of England. Three banks in Scotland and four banks in Northern Ireland also issue notes, in some or all of the denominations: £1, £5, £10, £20, £50, £100.

Rare British Coins

2020
British bank notes:
Pre-decimalisation British Notes:
NameValueCirculationNotes
Five shilling note5/-(£0.25)N non-circulatingOriginally issued by the treasury in 1914-1928. Not replaced by Bank of England notes.
Ten shilling note10/-(£0.5)N non-circulatingOriginally issued by the treasury in 1914. Replaced by Bank of England notes from 1928. Commonly known as 'ten bob note' or 'half a quid'. 1914–1970.

Post-decimalisation British Notes:

NameValueCirculationNotes
£1 note£1N non-circulatingWithdrawn in 1988, it is still issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Ireland and still used in some of the Channel Islands.[citation needed]
£5 note£5 in circulationThe original 'large white fiver' five pound note was known as 'five jacks' and replaced in 1957 by the blue £5 note. Now also known as a 'fiver'.
£10 note£10 in circulationAlso known as a 'tenner', or an 'ayrton', from Ayrton Senna
£20 note£20 in circulationAlso known as a 'score'.
£50 note£50 in circulationAlso known as a 'bullseye'.
£100 note£100N not in circulationIssued by Scottish and Northern-Irish banks only.
£1,000,000 note£1,000,000N non-circulatingAlso known as a 'Giant'. Used as backing for banknotes issued by Scottish and Northern Irish banks when exceeding the value of their 1845 reserves. The amount to be covered is over a billion pounds.[12] Also issued in 1948 as a temporary measure during the postwar reconstruction in the Marshall Plan.[13]
£10,000,000 note£10,000,000N non-circulatingUsed as backing for banknotes issued by Scottish and Northern Irish banks when exceeding the value of their 1845 reserves. The amount to be covered is over a billion pounds.
£100,000,000 note£100,000,000N non-circulatingAlso known as a 'Titan'. Used as backing for banknotes issued by Scottish and Northern Irish banks when exceeding the value of their 1845 reserves. The amount to be covered is over a billion pounds.[12]
Rare British Coins

Bank of England notes are periodically redesigned and reissued, with the old notes being withdrawn from circulation and destroyed. Each redesign is allocated a 'series'. Currently the £50 note is 'series F' issue whilst the £5, £10 and £20 notes are 'series G' issue. Series G is the latest round of redesign, which commenced in September 2016 with the polymer £5 note, September 2017 with the polymer £10 note, and February 2020 with the polymer £20 note.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^Mentioned in the King James Bible: Mark 12:41–4, but referring to a European currency. http://www.medievalcoinage.com/denominations/index.htm
  2. ^Lara E. Eakins. 'Coinage'. tudorhistory.org. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  3. ^Francis Sellon White (1827). A History of Inventions and Discoveries: Alphabetically Arranged. C. and J. Rivington, London. p. 218. Retrieved 22 June 2014. english coin called a mite.
  4. ^Samuel Maunder (1841). The Scientific and Literary Treasury; A New and Popular Encyclopedia of the Belles Lettres. Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  5. ^'Slang Terms for Money'.
  6. ^'Money Slang'.
  7. ^https://www.royalmint.com/our-coins/ranges/historic-coins/historic-coins/the-windsor-silver-sixpence-set/.Missing or empty title= (help)
  8. ^The Valiant
  9. ^'£20 Coins'. The Royal Mint.
  10. ^'£50 Coins'. The Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  11. ^'Buckingham Palace 2015 UK £100 Fine Silver Coin'. Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  12. ^ ab'Scottish and Northern Ireland Banknotes - The Role of Backing Assets'. Bank of England. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  13. ^'One in a Million'. Time. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  14. ^http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/current/index.htm Current banknotes of the Bank of England

Rare British Coins For Sale

External links[edit]

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