Values of Coins of England and Great Britain

('Coins of the UK')

by Tony Clayton


Main Values Index


This is the Index to a series of pages listing the current retail values of Milled Coins used in the United Kingdom. The hammered series is far too complex to give detailed listings of values (the milled series is bad enough!). It is stressed that the prices quoted are a guide only, and in UK pounds (1 UK pound was about US$1.40 or 1.20 euro on 11th March 2021). Although every effort has been made to ensure that they have been copied correctly, I take no responsibility for their accuracy, nor for the consequences of any decisions others might make based on this information.

In the index below the version number of the page is given, followed by the edition of Coin News (or Coin Yearbook) from which most of the price information was obtained. Updates are carried out when time permits, a bigger problem for me these days. Except in the case of EF or Unc specimens, values do not rise a great deal.

I am extremely grateful to Token Publishing Ltd of Exeter, Devon for permission to reproduce this copyright material.

Where Coin News describes a coin as extremely rare, an estimate of the value has been made in a few cases. However, it is not normally possible to give an estimate for these coins as the coins concerned are so rare that true value can only be tested at an Auction.


Index to Coin Value Pages by Denomination

DenominationVersionCoin News EditionDate of last update
Fractional Farthingsv4012/2219/01/24
The Farthing v3912/2220/01/24
The Halfpennyv4001/2319/01/24
Three Farthingsv24nva23/03/15
The Silver (Maundy) Pennyv1205/1823/06/19
The Copper/Bronze Pennyv4802/2312/08/24
The Penny-Halfpennyv3703/2108/03/22
The Two Pencev4405/18 & 04/1907/08/20
Three Pence v4503/24 & 03/2124/08/24
Four Pence (Maundy and Britannia) v4403/24 & 04/2124/08/24
The Sixpence v3804/2111/06/21
The Shilling v4306/1918/06/19
18 and 20 Pence v24CYB0723/03/15
Two Shillings - Florin v4806/2324/10/23
Thirty Pence - Half Crown v5507/2125/08/21
Three Shillings, 40d and 45d v26CYB 9823/03/15
Four Shillings (Double Florin), 50d and 4s6d v32 11/1123/03/15
5s (Crown), 5s3d (Quarter Guinea) and 5s6d v55 08/21 & 11/2108/03/22
Six Shillings and 6s8d v27nva23/03/15
Seven Shillings (Third Guinea) and 7s6d v3911/2108/03/22
Eight Shillings and 8s4d v25nva23/03/15
Ten Shillings and 10s6d (Half Guinea) v55 12/19 & 10/1916/02/20
Fifteen Shillings v24nva23/03/15
One Pound or Guinea v67 12/23 & 10/21 or CYB 0727/11/23
Thirty Shillings v23nva23/03/15
Two Pounds or Guineasv4801/22, 12/19 & 08/1007/09/22
Fifty and Sixty Shillings v26nva23/03/15
Five Pounds and Guineas v54 01/22, 12/19 & 11/2007/09/22
Maundy Sets v37 04/1807/08/20
Decimal Halfpennyv3 05/2409/08/24
Decimal One Pennyv4 05/2412/08/24
Decimal Two Pencev3 05/2412/08/24
Decimal Five Pence v29 06/2420/08/24
Decimal Ten Pence v4 06/2419/08/24
Decimal Twenty Pence v39 07/2413/08/24
Decimal Fifty Pence v608/24 & 08/2021/08/24
Decimal One Pound v3 10/1819/06/19
Decimal Two Pounds v6 10/2211/09/24
Decimal Crowns and £5 Coins v46 07/24 & 12/1813/08/24
Post-1971 Gold v38 CYB07 & 12/1827/03/19
Decimal Royal Mint Sets v27 CYB0701/05/18

nva means no values available on that page.
CYB stands for Coin Yearbook, published by Token Publishing Ltd.

Current exchange rates and bullion values should be available on my Bullion Value page.

Please note that the decimal pages have been reorganised (March 2015)


Early Proof Sets


No values are given for proof sets prior to 1937. For information on these purchase a copy of the Coin Yearbook from Token Publishing Ltd, PO Box 14, Honiton, Devon EX14 9YP, UK


CSV Files


The Pre-Decimal UK Coins CSV File (87 kbytes) is available suitable for loading into your favourite database or spreadsheet. This file has an exhaustive list of all years and denominations prior to decimalisation, but is not always as up-to-date as the information on the values pages.

For Decimal Coins try the Decimal UK Coins CSV File (16 kbytes). This file is separate from the Pre-decimal file because only one grade is valued (two if a readily available proof exists).

Sadly there is a problem if it is loaded into Excel, which insists that numbers are treated as numbers and not text whether or not the item is enclosed in inverted commas. My own spreadsheet takes 1689e90 as a number and "1689e90" as text. Excel files are now available, but are much larger than the CSV files, and will only rarely be updated, as a good deal of work is needed to deal with the idiosyncrasies of Excel.

Click here to download an 87 kbyte Zip file containing Pre-Decimal UK Coins Excel File (288 kbytes) and Decimal UK Coins Excel File (59 kbytes).


Grading


A range of grades are used to describe the condition of coins. Valuation of a coin is impossible without a sound knowledge of the grading of coins. For this there is no real substitute for experience. However, the following is a guide to the main grading scheme used for UK coins (please note that the UK standards are higher than for US coins):

The value pages do not give estimated values for coins in worse than Fine condition. For coins prior to 1815 only the next three grades are quoted for, while those from 1815 also include the Unc grade

There are two higher grades seen in dealers lists:

Many coins fall in between grades, and so terms such as 'nearly VF', 'good VF', 'gem BU' are encountered.


Sources


It is stressed that the prices in the above pages are a guide to current retail prices only, and in UK pounds. The prices are significantly more than you might expect to receive when you are selling. At present (January 2024) 1 UK pound is about US$1.27. For other currencies consult your local bank.

I can take no personal responsibility for their accuracy, although every effort has been made to ensure that they have been entered correctly.

Current exchange rates (between GBP, EUR and US$) and bullion values may be available on my Bullion Value page.

The information has generally, but not exclusively, been taken from the UK monthly magazine Coin News, and is reproduced by the kind permission of

Token Publishing Ltd, 40 Southernhay East, Exeter, EX1 1PE

Many Proofs exist which are not listed, although values for the more common pre-decimal proofs are generally given.

I would welcome any feedback to produce a more exhaustive list.


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Values of Coins of the UK
Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
v327 11th September 2024