George I., 1714 to 1727.
George I. upon his accession continued the coinage upon the same principles as his predecessors; and issued pieces of the same denominations, value, size and fineness. Upon all his silver money the king's bust is represented to the right, the hair long, laureate, the shoulders invested with armour with a slight drapery passing over them. The legend contains all the king's English titles. GEORGIVS. D. G. M. BR. FR. ET HIB. REX with the addition of the letters F. D. for FIDEI DEFENSOR, now for the first time inserted, though it had been a title enjoyed by British sovereigns ever since it had been conferred by the Pope upon King Henry VIII. Upon the reverse the arms are contained in four shields placed crosswise with the cross of the garter in the centre; but the bearings are changed by the introduction of the arms of the king's German dominions. The upper shield bears England and Scotland impaled; the lower one Ireland, France is to the right, Hanover to the left. These arms consist of those of Brunswick, two lions passant, guardant; Lunenburgh, seme of hearts, lion rampant; Saxony, horse current; upon an escutcheon of pretence is Charlemagne's crown, the symbol of his office of Arch- treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire. The legend of the reverse consists of the king's German titles, which, as they are now separated, with the dominions, from the crown of England, and, being only expressed in abbreviations or initials, may become, if they are not already, utterly unintelligible, we shall insert, and explain, to save our readers from the pain of uttering those maledictions, so universally and justly pronounced against all initials, and abbreviations which are capable of an equivocal interpretation. BRUNsvicensis ET Lunenbergensis DVX Sacri Romani Imperii ArchiTHesaurarius ET ELector. Sometimes various symbols are introduced, indicative of the source from whence the silver was derived of which the pieces were struck; sometimes two symbols appear upon one piece, in cases where the silver was the produce of different districts. The Plume indicates Welch silver; the Rose, that received from the West of England; SSC. that derived from the South Sea Company. The two Cs interlinked, and accompanying the plumes, allude to the Welch Copper Company. This Company is supposedly to be the same which was established under a Charter in the fourth year of William and Mary.
Crowns: The busts upon the crowns are all alike; and the following varieties of types and dates occur:-- 1716. SECVNDO, plain or without any symbols. Rud. xxxix. 1. MB. but the plate is dated 1714, of which date no such coin exists. 1718. QVINTO, roses and plumes. MB. 1720. SEXTO, roses and plumes. MB. 1723. DECIMO, SSC for South Sea Company. Rud. xxxix. 13. Sn. xvii. 41. 1726. DECIMO TERTIO, rose and plumes. Rud. xxxix. 9. Sn. xvii. 40. MB.
Half-Crowns: These resemble the crowns, and occur of the following dates--1715. SECUNDO, roses and plumes. MB. 1717. TIRTIO (sic) roses and plumes. MB. 1720. SEXTO, roses and plumes. Rud. xxxix. 2. 10. MB. 1723. DECIMO. SSC. Rud. xxxix. 14. Sn. xvii. 33. MB.
Shillings: These also resemble the crowns in type, but some variations occur in the delineation of the king's bust. The earlier heads are distinguished by the tye appearing with two straight ends, while on the later head the tye shows a bow and only one end, Rud. xxxix. 3.; this alteration was introduced in 1723. With the first head the following varieties occur, with roses and plumes, 1715. MB. 1716. MB. 1717. MB. 1718. MB. 1719. MB. 1720. MB. 1721. MB. 1722. Plain between shields. 1720. MB. 1721. MB. SSC. 1723. Rud. xxxix. 15. MB.
With the second head we have the SSC. 1723. MB. With roses and feathers. 1723. MB. 1724. MB. 1725. Rud. xxxix. 11. MB. 1726. 1727. MB. With plumes and two Cs interlinked, and W.C.C. for Welch Copper Company under the bust. 1723. MB. 1724. MB. 1725. Rud. xxxix. 17. Sn. xvii. 25. MB. 1726. MB.
Sixpences: The bust upon these pieces resembles that upon the crowns, and is the same upon all dates, Rud. xxxix. 4. Sn. xvii. 16. With roses and plumes, 1717. MB. 1720. MB. 1726. Rud. xxxix. 12. Sn. xvii. 18. MB. With SSC. 1723. Rud. xxxix. 16. MB.
The Maundy money has a bust similar to the other coins, GEORGIVS DEI GRA. Rev. A numeral, crowned with the king's British titles only. Rud. xxxix. 5. 6. 7.8. The groat occurs of the dates 1717. 1721. 1723. 1727. all in MB.
Three-Pences are of the same dates as the groats, all in MB.
Half-Groats: 1717. 1721. 1723. 1726. 1727. all in MB.
Pence: 1716. 1718. 1720. 1723. 1725. 1726. 1727. all in MB. All the Maundy money of 1727 has the letters smaller than those of other dates.
The description does not apply to the Maundy money which is all plain.
George I. upon his accession continued the coinage upon the same principles as his predecessors; and issued pieces of the same denominations, value, size and fineness. Upon all his silver money the king's bust is represented to the right, the hair long, laureate, the shoulders invested with armour with a slight drapery passing over them. The legend contains all the king's English titles. GEORGIVS. D. G. M. BR. FR. ET HIB. REX with the addition of the letters F. D. for FIDEI DEFENSOR, now for the first time inserted, though it had been a title enjoyed by British sovereigns ever since it had been conferred by the Pope upon King Henry VIII. Upon the reverse the arms are contained in four shields placed crosswise with the cross of the garter in the centre; but the bearings are changed by the introduction of the arms of the king's German dominions. The upper shield bears England and Scotland impaled; the lower one Ireland, France is to the right, Hanover to the left. These arms consist of those of Brunswick, two lions passant, guardant; Lunenburgh, seme of hearts, lion rampant; Saxony, horse current; upon an escutcheon of pretence is Charlemagne's crown, the symbol of his office of Arch- treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire. The legend of the reverse consists of the king's German titles, which, as they are now separated, with the dominions, from the crown of England, and, being only expressed in abbreviations or initials, may become, if they are not already, utterly unintelligible, we shall insert, and explain, to save our readers from the pain of uttering those maledictions, so universally and justly pronounced against all initials, and abbreviations which are capable of an equivocal interpretation. BRUNsvicensis ET Lunenbergensis DVX Sacri Romani Imperii ArchiTHesaurarius ET ELector. Sometimes various symbols are introduced, indicative of the source from whence the silver was derived of which the pieces were struck; sometimes two symbols appear upon one piece, in cases where the silver was the produce of different districts. The Plume indicates Welch silver; the Rose, that received from the West of England; SSC. that derived from the South Sea Company. The two Cs interlinked, and accompanying the plumes, allude to the Welch Copper Company. This Company is supposedly to be the same which was established under a Charter in the fourth year of William and Mary.
Crowns: The busts upon the crowns are all alike; and the following varieties of types and dates occur:-- 1716. SECVNDO, plain or without any symbols. Rud. xxxix. 1. MB. but the plate is dated 1714, of which date no such coin exists. 1718. QVINTO, roses and plumes. MB. 1720. SEXTO, roses and plumes. MB. 1723. DECIMO, SSC for South Sea Company. Rud. xxxix. 13. Sn. xvii. 41. 1726. DECIMO TERTIO, rose and plumes. Rud. xxxix. 9. Sn. xvii. 40. MB.
Half-Crowns: These resemble the crowns, and occur of the following dates--1715. SECUNDO, roses and plumes. MB. 1717. TIRTIO (sic) roses and plumes. MB. 1720. SEXTO, roses and plumes. Rud. xxxix. 2. 10. MB. 1723. DECIMO. SSC. Rud. xxxix. 14. Sn. xvii. 33. MB.
Shillings: These also resemble the crowns in type, but some variations occur in the delineation of the king's bust. The earlier heads are distinguished by the tye appearing with two straight ends, while on the later head the tye shows a bow and only one end, Rud. xxxix. 3.; this alteration was introduced in 1723. With the first head the following varieties occur, with roses and plumes, 1715. MB. 1716. MB. 1717. MB. 1718. MB. 1719. MB. 1720. MB. 1721. MB. 1722. Plain between shields. 1720. MB. 1721. MB. SSC. 1723. Rud. xxxix. 15. MB.
With the second head we have the SSC. 1723. MB. With roses and feathers. 1723. MB. 1724. MB. 1725. Rud. xxxix. 11. MB. 1726. 1727. MB. With plumes and two Cs interlinked, and W.C.C. for Welch Copper Company under the bust. 1723. MB. 1724. MB. 1725. Rud. xxxix. 17. Sn. xvii. 25. MB. 1726. MB.
Sixpences: The bust upon these pieces resembles that upon the crowns, and is the same upon all dates, Rud. xxxix. 4. Sn. xvii. 16. With roses and plumes, 1717. MB. 1720. MB. 1726. Rud. xxxix. 12. Sn. xvii. 18. MB. With SSC. 1723. Rud. xxxix. 16. MB.
The Maundy money has a bust similar to the other coins, GEORGIVS DEI GRA. Rev. A numeral, crowned with the king's British titles only. Rud. xxxix. 5. 6. 7.8. The groat occurs of the dates 1717. 1721. 1723. 1727. all in MB.
Three-Pences are of the same dates as the groats, all in MB.
Half-Groats: 1717. 1721. 1723. 1726. 1727. all in MB.
Pence: 1716. 1718. 1720. 1723. 1725. 1726. 1727. all in MB. All the Maundy money of 1727 has the letters smaller than those of other dates.
The description does not apply to the Maundy money which is all plain.