Guineas

The Guinea was a well known and respected British gold coin. The first gold guinea was issued during the reign of King Charles II in 1663.

A gold guinea was made of 22 carat gold, with a weight of 8.4 grams, and diameter of 25mm. The guinea had a face value of 21 shillings (£1 and a shilling).

The last guinea was issued during the reign of King George III in 1813. This particular coin is known as a ‘Military’ guinea, as it was specially struck to pay British troops at the time of the Napoleonic Wars.

The design of gold guinea changed dramatically over the years, from depictions of crowned cruciform shields to the ‘Spade’ shaped crowned shields of arms.

Millions of gold guineas were minted and widely circulated, so often turn up in fine to very fine condition. As with all coin types, some years are much rarer than others, such as the 1761 guinea (First guinea minted during the reign of King George III).

We are always interested in purchasing individual gold guineas or complete guinea collections. Please feel free to contact us if you would like a free no obligation offer.