Latest news and updates on British numismatic - Coins, banknotes, tokens
January 10, 2026
2 Pence 1817 to 1848 - Price Guide and values
A short-lived twopence denomination in silver was also produced, with circulation issues in 1817, 1818 and 1820, after which silver twopence coins were issued only as Maundy money.
January 10, 2026
2 Pounds -1820 to 1953 - Price Guide and values
A committee of the Privy Council recommended gold coins of ten shillings, twenty shillings, two pounds and five pounds be issued, and this was accepted by George, Prince Regent on August 3, 1816. The five-pound and two-pound pieces did not circulate to any great extent, and were kept primarily as souvenirs.
January 5, 2026
50 Pence 1969 to 2025 - Price Guide and values
The £1 coins started rolling off the production line at a rate of over 4000 a minute in 2016. The new 12-sided coin resembles the old threepenny bit. The new £1 coin was announced by the Chancellor at Budget 2014, and the design of the new coin was announced at Budget 2015. In October 2023, the King Charles III 50 Pence coin was presented; the coin design features a salmon.
December 27, 2025
Pictures of errors and varieties added in the price guide
Throughout the production process to create a coin, several issues can arise. When a coin shows an anomaly, it's either an error or a variety. Generally speaking, a variety, created intentionally or not, affects the design only and is generated even before the coin is produced, while an error is the result of an unintentional irregularity that happened during the production process.
December 26, 2025
Presidency 50 Pence British Coins
The 1992 50 pence coin commemorated the United Kingdom's Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Community (EC), which took place in the second half of 1992, and the completion of the Single European Market, which came into effect on January 1, 1993.
December 26, 2025
Penny 1670 to 1701 - Price Guide and values
The guinea was minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814 and contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The coin was originally worth twenty shillings (one pound), but an increase in the price of gold during the reign of King Charles II led to the market trading it at a premium. The price of gold continued to increase, especially in times of trouble, and by the 1680s, the coin was worth 22 silver shillings.
December 21, 2025
Guinea 1702 to 1813 - Price Guide and values
The guinea was minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814 and contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The coin was originally worth twenty shillings (one pound), but an increase in the price of gold during the reign of King Charles II led to the market trading it at a premium. The price of gold continued to increase, especially in times of trouble, and by the 1680s, the coin was worth 22 silver shillings.
December 17, 2025
Several pictures added for grading 1902 to 1998 Britsh coins
The grade is used to determine the a more exact value of a British coin. It represents the quality and wear of a coin. Using pictures, effigies and descriptions, this section helps you to determine the grade of a coin with the Sheldon scale, the universal gradation tool. To determine a coin's high grade (MS), you look at strike, luster, location, size, and quantity of bag marks, and other less tangible features.
December 12, 2025
3 Pence 1670 to 1713 - Price Guide and values
Struck during the reign of Elizabeth I and then again during the Civil War, minting of the threepence was resumed following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. By the early part of the 18th century the coin only really survived as a part of the small annual issues of Maundy Money.
December 10, 2025
From the archives: Coins of the Roman usurpers
What makes a king a king, or a president a president? How do they get there, how do we come to believe in them? These are questions that he and a colleague from the Museum, Clive Cheesman, had tried to tackle in an exhibition at the British Museum in 1999 that was entitled Rebels, Pretenders, Impostors.
December 5, 2025
Guinea 1663 to 1701 - Price Guide and values
The guinea was minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814 and contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The coin was originally worth twenty shillings (one pound), but an increase in the price of gold during the reign of King Charles II led to the market trading it at a premium. The price of gold continued to increase, especially in times of trouble, and by the 1680s, the coin was worth 22 silver shillings.
December 2, 2025
3 Pence 1717 to 1800 - Price Guide and values
Struck during the reign of Elizabeth I and then again during the Civil War, minting of the threepence was resumed following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. By the early part of the 18th century the coin only really survived as a part of the small annual issues of Maundy Money.
November 25, 2025
Coronation Anniversary 1953-2003 5 Pounds
The 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was marked by a service of commemoration at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 2003, exactly 50 years after the original ceremony. On 28 April 2003, a special commemorative crown piece was produced by the Royal Mint to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty the Queen was available at the face value of £5, directly from the Mint and from Post Offices throughout the United Kingdom.
November 24, 2025
Half Penny 1825 to 1901 - Price Guide and values
Originally the halfpenny was minted in copper, but after 1860 it was minted in bronze. These coins were bearing on their reverse the seated figure of Britannia, who was to remain a feature of the coins until 1937.
November 19, 2025
From the archives: 1797 and All That
On 1 March 1797 the House of Commons requests that the King give directions for the immediate supply of copper coin. The Committee's immediate response was to place an order in July with Matthew Boulton for 500 tons of two penny and penny pieces. No farthings or halfpennies were ordered as it was felt they would utterly discredit the circulating coin.
November 13, 2025
Farthing 1672 to 1700 - Price Guide and values
In 1672, issues began of the first official copper farthing coins. These were bearing on their reverse the seated figure of Britannia, who was to remain a feature of the coins until 1937, when a wren was adopted.
November 9, 2025
Quarter Guinea 1718 and 1762 - Price Guide and values
The Quarter guinea was a British coin minted only in the years 1718 and 1762. Despite its minuscule size, the coin took the form of a scaled-down version of the guinea and half guinea.
November 6, 2025
Half Penny 1902 to 1970 - Price Guide and values
British halfpenny coins were bearing on their reverse the seated figure of Britannia, who was to remain a feature until 1937, when a sailing ship was adopted. The halfpenny survived until decimalisation, ceasing to be legal tender from July 31, 1969.
November 3, 2025
National Health Service (NHS) 50 Pence Coins
The 1998 50 Pence coin was made to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the NHS (National Health Service) 1948-1998. The reverse features a design by David Cornell, which shows a pair of hands set against a pattern of radiating lines, with the words FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY and the initials NHS repeated five times around the border.
November 1, 2025
Half Guinea 1702 to 1813 - Price Guide and values
The half guinea gold coins were first produced in 1669, some years after the Guinea entered circulation. The Elephant and Castle symbol appears in some of them, from the emblem of the Royal African Company in Africa. It was founded, as The Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa after Charles II ascended to the throne in 1660.
October 29, 2025
Quarter Sovereign 2009 to 2025 - Not intended for circulation added
The Quarter-Sovereign was first introduced in 2009 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It is struck in 22 carat gold standard.
October 28, 2025
Quarter Farthing 1839 to 1868 - Price Guide and values
While quarter farthings were never legal tender in the United Kingdom, they are fractions of the British farthing, which was currency in Ceylon, and traditionally have been catalogued as British coinage. William Wyon designed the reverse to feature a royal crown above the words QUARTER FARTHING and the date. The mint produced bronze proofs in 1868.
October 27, 2025
Grading British Coins - Pictures of pre-decimal halfpenny added
The grade is used to determine the a more exact value of a British coin. It represents the quality and wear of a coin. Using pictures, effigies and descriptions, this section helps you to determine the grade of a coin with the Sheldon scale, the universal gradation tool. To determine a coin's high grade (MS), you look at strike, luster, location, size, and quantity of bag marks, and other less tangible features.
October 14, 2025
20 Pence - 1982 to 2025 - Price Guide and values
The Tudor rose (sometimes called the Union rose) is crowned on the reverse of this denomination before the Royal Arms. The Tudor rose consists of five white inner petals, representing the House of York, and five red outer petals to represent the House of Lancaster. To help identification and avoid confusion with similar sized coins, the 20p is seven sided and, like the 50p, an equilateral curve heptagon. The shape, with its constant rolling diameter, means that it is readily acceptable in vending machines. In October 2023, the King Charles III 20 Pence coin was presented; the coin design features a puffin.
October 7, 2025
5 Pounds 1820 to 1953 - Price Guide and values
The five pound British gold coin, also known as a quintuple sovereign has been struck intermittently between 1820 and 1953. One of the rarest coins in Great Britain, and a coin much sought after by collectors, is the Una and the Lion five pounds.
