Item number: A225

Year: AD 1795

Material: Gold

Size: 24.5 x 24.5 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 8.38 g

Provenance: Coincraft 2016

This coin is a fifth edition guinea gold coin issued during the reign of King George III of Great Britain, specifically between the years AD 1787 and AD 1799. The coin’s design was crafted by Louis Pingo, a member of the Pingo family, which was a prominent family of engravers active in 18th-century Britain. The obverse of the coin features a right-side portrait of George III wearing a laurel wreath, with the surrounding Latin inscription translating to “George the Third, by the Grace of God.” The reverse displays a royal crown and a quartered shield, which resembles the shape of a spade, leading to this version of the guinea being nicknamed “the Spade Guinea.”

The motifs within the shield on the reverse of the coin are arranged clockwise from the top left corner, representing the combined arms of England and Scotland, the fleur-dae-lis symbolising the French throne, the Royal House of Hanover in the German region, and the harp representing Ireland. The surrounding Latin inscription details the titles claimed by George III, which read: “King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire.”

King George III of England also bore the title of King of France, a claim that can be traced back to the early 14th century and the Hundred Years’ War fought between England and France over royal succession rights. During his reign, George III was engaged in the fierce Seven Years’ War with his longstanding rival, France, as part of the broader struggle for dominance over colonial territories and the European order. Although Britain ultimately emerged victorious, the war resulted in substantial financial deficits, prompting the British government to levy the Stamp Act on its North American colonies. This measure led to widespread resistance among the colonists, culminating in the American Declaration of Independence in AD 1776.

The guinea was a British monetary unit that has since been discontinued, valued at 20 shillings. It holds the distinction of being one of the earliest British currencies to be minted by machine. The name of the currency originates from the West African region called Guinea, from where the Royal African Company imported the gold used to mint guinea coins. During the nearly 60-year reign of George III, from AD 1760 to AD 1820, six different versions of the guinea gold coin were issued.

物件編號: A225

年代: 公元 1795 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 24.5 x 24.5 x 1.2 mm

重量: 8.38 g

來源: 錢幣工藝 2016

這是一枚英國喬治三世統治時期，於公元1787至1799年間，發行之第五版的畿尼金幣。錢幣圖案由皇家造幣廠的雕刻師：路易斯·平戈操刀設計，平戈家族是活躍於公元18世紀的英國雕刻世家。錢幣正面是頭戴桂冠的喬治三世右側肖像，周圍的拉丁銘文意思是「承蒙上帝恩典的喬治三世」。錢幣背面是象徵國王的皇冠和四分盾牌，由於盾牌外型酷似鏟子，該版本的金畿尼被賦予「鏟子」綽號。

盾牌內的圖騰從左上角按順時針排列，依序是：英格蘭和蘇格蘭的聯合徽章、百合花象徵的法國王位、日耳曼地區的漢諾威王室和豎琴代表的愛爾蘭。周圍的拉丁銘文是喬治三世統領和聲索的頭銜，即「大不列顛、法國和愛爾蘭國王，信仰捍衛者，不倫瑞克和呂訥堡公爵，神聖羅馬帝國總司庫和選帝侯」。

貴為英王的喬治三世，卻同時擁有法國國王的頭銜，這能上溯到公元14世紀初，英法兩國為了王室繼承權發動的百年戰爭歷史遺緒。喬治三世在位期間，為爭奪殖民地和歐洲秩序的主導權亦和宿敵法國展開激烈的七年戰爭。雖然英國獲得最終勝利，卻為了龐大的財政赤字向北美殖民地徵收印花稅。這項舉動遭來殖民地居民的反抗，最終促成公元1776年的美國獨立。

畿尼是已經被廢除的英國貨幣單位，等值於20先令，是最早以機器鑄造的英國貨幣。貨幣名稱的典故出自西非幾內亞，由皇家非洲公司從此地進口鑄造畿尼所需的黃金。公元1760到1820年，喬治三世統治的近60年期間，先後發行過六種版本的畿尼金幣。