Coins & Medals
Five Pound Piece: George IV (obverse); Shield of Arms (reverse)
MetalworkCoin
Details
- Author / creator
- Jean Baptiste Merlen (French, 1769–1850)
- Object type
- Coin or medal
- Date or period
- 1826
- Dimensions summary
- Diameter: 3.8 cm
- Place of origin
- England
- Acquisition method
- Donation
- Credit line
- Gift of the Hartley Bequest, 1969
- Denomination
- Five Pound Piece
- Issuer / ruler
- George IV
- Mint
- London (Tower Mint)
- Metal
- Gold
- Weight (g)
- 39.88
- Diameter (mm)
- 38
- Image rights
- Public domain (CC0)
About this object
Only pattern five-pound pieces were struck during the reign of George IV, none being put into circulation. In this reign, specimen proof sets appeared for the first time in 1823, and the pattern five- and two-pound pieces as well as the pattern silver crown were included in the sets.
Materials and technique
Gold
Signature and marks
Obverse: DEI GRATIA * 1826 * GEORGIUS IV. (“George IV by the Grace of God”); Reverse: BRITANNIARUM.REX FID: DEF (“King of the Britains and Defender of the Faith”)
Obverse
George IV
Reverse
Shield of Arms
