United Kingdom
The pound sterling is Britain’s millennium-old unit of account: 12 pence to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound (£sd), struck by the Royal Mint since its origins over 1,100 years ago, moving from the Tower of London to Llantrisant, Wales in 1968. Decimal Day — 15 February 1971 — ended the £sd system and created the decimal pound of 100 pence.
Coins of United Kingdom
Every coin entry in this wiki — one tap to the full page.
Showing 21 of 21
1797 Cartwheel TwopencePublic domain (Wikimedia Commons File:British_pre-decimal_twopence_1797_obverse.png). Obverse of a genuine 1797 Cartwheel twopence. Two full ounces of…View coin ›
1839 Una and the Lion £5Public domain (National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History, via Wikimedia Commons File:England_(UK)_1839_5_Pounds_(Una_and_the_Lion).jpg). Obverse and…View coin ›
1847 Gothic CrownPublic domain (William Wyon, Wikimedia Commons File:Victoria "Gothic" crown MET DP100428.jpg). Obverse of a genuine 1847…View coin ›
1849 ‘Godless’ FlorinCC BY 3.0 by JFS (Wikimedia Commons File:Godless_florin_1848.jpg). Type photo: both sides of an 1848 Godless-type…View coin ›
1887 Double FlorinPublic domain (Coinman62, Wikimedia Commons File:1887_British_double_florin.jpg). Shows an 1887 double florin, the first year of the…View coin ›
1905 Half CrownCC BY-SA 4.0 by Mandtplatt (Wikimedia Commons File:1905_Edward_VII_Halfcrown_(reverse)_UNCIRCULATED.JPG). Reverse of a genuine 1905 half crown. The…View coin ›
1917 London SovereignAI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin. 1,014,999 struck at London — the…View coin ›1918 KN Penny: King’s Norton Metal Co. IssueLook left of the date: the tiny 'KN' marks pennies struck by the King's Norton Metal…View coin ›
1927 Wreath CrownPublic domain (photographer Mandtplatt, Wikimedia Commons File:1934_George_V_'wreath'_Crown_(reverse)_UNC.JPG). Type photo: reverse of a genuine 1934 wreath crown.…View coin ›
1933 PennyAI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin. Britain's most famous rarity — a…View coin ›
1934 Wreath CrownAI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin. 932 struck — the lowest mintage…View coin ›
1937 Edward VIII Gold SovereignAI-generated illustration (no usable free real photo found). Design reference: Baldwin's/NumisBids lot 2079, Royal Mint Museum.…View coin ›
1937 Edward VIII PennyAI-generated illustration (no usable free real photo found). Design reference: Online Coin Club Edward VIII penny…View coin ›
1950 PennyPublic domain (Welkinridge, Wikimedia Commons File:1937_George_VI_penny.jpg). Shows a 1937 George VI penny, the same design type…View coin ›
1951 Festival of Britain CrownAI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin. George VI's 1951 Festival of Britain…View coin ›1953 British Penny: What’s It Worth?No 1953 pennies were struck for circulation — the only ones in existence came from the…View coin ›
1965 Churchill CrownAI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin. Britain's 1965 crown for Sir Winston…View coin ›
1983 ‘New Pence’ 2p MuleAI-generated illustration (no usable free real photo found). Design reference: Royal Mint, PCGS ValueView (PCGS #628038),…View coin ›
2009 Kew Gardens 50pAI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin. 210,000 circulation strikes — Royal Mint…View coin ›
Britannia Bullion CoinsThe Royal Mint’s Flagship Investor CoinView coin ›
Gold Sovereign (1817–present)Public domain (Benedetto Pistrucci / Royal Mint, Wikimedia Commons File:George_III_sovereign_with_St._George_reverse_MET_DP100376.jpg). Shows a George III sovereign (1817–1820…View coin ›History & collecting
The story behind the coins, one tap away.
- Issued: bronze pennies, halfpennies and farthings circulated for most of the Victorian through Elizabeth II eras; the classic Britannia reverse pennies (George V bare head / seated Britannia) are the type most collectors hold.
- Composition: bronze; genuine George V pennies weigh 9.4 g.
- Key dates (verified only): the 1933 penny — no more than six or seven are known, per the Royal Mint Museum; they were never issued for circulation, struck only for foundation-stone year sets, and one was stolen from the Church of St Cross, Middleton, near Leeds, in 1970 and never recovered. Do not trust raw high-grade examples — altered dates (1932 or 1936 with the last digit re-cut) are a known forgery method, and genuine pieces weigh exactly 9.4 g.
- Notable varieties (verified only): 1919 with “H” or “KN” mintmarks — coins struck at Birmingham’s Heaton or Kings Norton mints.
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing.
- Issued: the circulating silver range under the £sd system, from the silver threepence (3d) up through the sixpence (6d), shilling (1s), florin (2s) and half-crown (2s 6d).
- Composition, including dated changes: sterling silver (.925) until 1920; 50% silver from 1920; cupro-nickel from 1947. This debasement sequence is the single most important fact for melt and authenticity judgments on this whole group.
Value: Compare authenticated sold listings before buying or pricing.
- Issued: the crown is Britain’s great commemorative showpiece denomination; the celebrated example is the 1847 “Gothic” crown of Victoria.
- Composition: sterling silver (.925); 28.28 g, 38.61 mm (Heritage/Auction records).
- Key dates: 1847 “Gothic” crown — proof strike by William Wyon with blackletter Gothic legends and crowned cruciform shields; edge inscribed UN DECIMO. Verified mintage: 8,000 pieces (Heritage, APMEX/NGC listings).
- Notable varieties (verified only): edge varieties with and without lettering, and differing edge inscriptions, are documented across the issue.
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing.
- Issued: struck continuously from 1817 by the Royal Mint, and at branch mints in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth during the imperial era.
- Composition: 22-carat gold (.9167), 7.98805 g, 22 mm, 0.2354 oz AGW.
- Key dates: 1819 is the classic rarity — only 3,574 were minted (CoinNews/Royal Mint-commissioned research), and a 2019-graded example made headlines; 1828 is the key date of George IV’s reign with 386,182 struck (reported in specialist coverage). Shield reverses ran 1838–1874 for Victoria while the St George reverse was restored in 1871, overlapping shield strikes through 1874 (Numismatic News, citing the Royal Mint).
- Notable varieties (verified only): Benedetto Pistrucci’s St George and the Dragon reverse — the spear appears on the 1817 first strikes and the sword from 1820; late George IV and William IV (1826–1837) issues carry the shield reverse.
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.
- Issued: decimal pence — ½p, 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2 — replacing the £sd pieces; the 50p introduced the seven-sided shape.
Value: Compare authenticated sold listings before buying or pricing.
The Royal Mint’s investor flagship is the Britannia series: gold from 1987, silver from 1997, and platinum from 2018. The 1 oz gold Britannia moved from .917 to .9999 fine in 2013; the 1 oz silver moved from .958 to .999 in 2013. Denominations include £100 (1 oz gold) and £2 (1 oz silver); Charles III effigy from 2023, with 1987–2022 issues under Elizabeth II.
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.
Values move; always check live sold listings on the linked guides. Key dates and high-value pieces require authentication.
Britain rewards series specialists: the £sd silver debasement dates (1920, 1947) are the hinge for everything from sixpences to crowns, and the sovereign is the one British coin that doubles as a bullion position. The two famous rarities here — the 1933 penny and the 1819 sovereign — are also the two most dangerous coins to buy raw, because both are counterfeited; genuine examples are almost always certified, and sovereigns come with Pistrucci’s St George-and-dragon reverse but also legitimate shield and commemorative reverses — weight, dimensions, and a certified holder are the real checks, not the reverse design alone (NGC KM-696). For every value question, work from the linked entries’ live sold listings, not from printed price lists.
Europe Red Book v2 research chapter, published September 15, 2026. Values are intentionally excluded; use authenticated sold-market evidence.
Real prices come from real sales. Check what United Kingdom coins are actually selling for right now.
Live eBay listings1797 Cartwheel Twopence1839 Una and the Lion £51847 Gothic Crown1849 'Godless' Florin1887 Double Florin1905 Half Crown1917 London Sovereign19171918 KN Penny: King's Norton Metal Co. Issue1918-1919 (KN issues)1927 Wreath Crown1933 Penny1934 Wreath Crown1927–19361937 Edward VIII Gold Sovereign19371937 Edward VIII Penny19371950 Penny1951 Festival of Britain Crown1953 British Penny: What's It Worth?19531965 Churchill Crown1983 'New Pence' 2p Mule19832009 Kew Gardens 50p2009Gold Sovereign1817–presentMatching checklists & toolsAs an eBay Partner, The Coin Wiki may earn from qualifying purchases.