The gold guinea was undoubtedly the major British coin of the eighteenth century, and it brought the end to handmade coinage in Britain.
It was born in 1663, the aftermath of the English Civil War when the republican issues were replaced with a more impressive coinage bearing the portrait of the newly restored King Charles II. The ‘Guinea’ takes its name from the African country of Guinea where the gold used to make the coins was sourced. Originally the value of the Guinea was twenty shillings, but due to fluctuations in the value of gold and silver, this value changed, at a time to as high as thirty shillings. From 1717 until 1816 its value was fixed at twenty-one shillings. In the great recoinage of 1816, the guinea was replaced by the pound as the major unit of currency, and in coinage by the sovereign. However, to this day guineas are still used to sell horses.
Historic Guineas
Product range
1718 George I Quarter Guinea
Fine or Better
Price: £1,200.00
1804–1808 George III Half Guinea Military Type
Very Fine Condition
Price: £860.00
Price: £1,020.00
George I 1726 Guinea
Extremely Fine Condition
Price: £6,673.00
George II Five Guinea EIC
George II Five Guinea EIC
Price: £36,000.00
George III Spade Half Guinea
Fine or Better
Price: £1,010.00
George II Gold Guinea
Fine or Better
Price: £1,650.00
George II 1739 Guinea, First Year For The Intermediate Bust
Very Fine Condition
Price: £4,300.00
George III Spade Guinea 1787-1800
Fine or Better
Price: £1,250.00
1718 George I Quarter Guinea
Very Fine Condition
Price: £1,195.00
Price: £6,400.00
1762 George III Quarter Guinea
Minimum of Very Fine Condition
Price: £1,595.00
George III 1813 Military Guinea
Very Fine condition
Price: £6,995.00
George III Third Bust Third Guinea
Fine or Better
Price: £640.00
James II (1685-88) 1687 Gold Guinea Second Bust
Graded AU58 by NGC
Price: £13,738.00
Price: £4,495.00
