The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Guinea: George III (obverse); Shield of Arms (reverse)

Guinea: George III (obverse); Shield of Arms (reverse)

1761
designed by
(British, 1720–1779)
Diameter: 2.4 cm (15/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Richard Yeo first came to notice in 1746, when he produced the official medal for the battle of Culloden.

Description

No five- or two-guinea pieces were issued for general circulation during this reign, but there were large numbers of guineas, the unit piece. The reign saw a profusion of pattern and proof pieces being struck, mostly because a further coinage reform was imminent, as was the removal of the Royal Mint from the Tower of London, where there had been a mint for over 600 years. Richard Yeo was appointed assistant engraver at the Royal Mint in 1749, chief engraver in 1775, and died in 1779. He was responsible for a large number of pattern pieces and for some of the currency coins of the period. This coin, one of the earliest patterns of the reign, bears a portrait on the obverse similar to that of George II rather than George III.
  • -1969
    King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lueneburg, Arch Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire
    1969-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, and Emery May Norweb. English Gold Coins, Ancient to Modern Times, On Loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Norweb Collection. [Catalog. 1968. p. 67
  • Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
    English Gold Coins: Ancient to Modern Times. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Guinea: George III (obverse); Shield of Arms (reverse)|url=false|author=Richard Yeo|year=1761|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.209