Item number: A1393

Year: AD 1804

Material: Sliver

Size: 39.8 x 39.8 x 2.0 mm

Weight: 26.05 g

Manufactured by: Soho Mint

Provenance: Fuchin coin 2024

This is a silver token struck in the year AD 1804 at the Soho Mint, with a denomination of five shillings. The obverse features a laureate, draped bust of King George III facing right, surrounded by the Latin inscription “GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX,” which translates to “George the Third, King, by the Grace of God.” The reverse depicts Britannia seated, facing left, holding an olive branch in her right hand and a spear in her left. Beside her is a shield bearing the Union flag, with a beehive to the left and a cornucopia to the right. All of these symbols are encompassed within a castellated “crown” made up of five circular stone turrets. The surrounding inscription reads “BANK OF ENGLAND FIVE SHILLINGS DOLLAR 1804.”

In AD 1804, the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars exacerbated an already existing shortage of silver coins in Britain. As a result, the Bank of England was authorised to overstrike Spanish dollars, revaluing them at five shillings. The Bank employed James Watt’s steam engine technology to develop a press capable of quickly removing the original Spanish designs and replacing them with a new British design. These overstruck coins were minted between AD 1804 and AD 1811, though all bear the date 1804.

As the price of silver rose, the Bank’s dollars quickly gained value, prompting the Bank to announce that it would accept its 5 shillings dollars at a rate of 5 shillings and 6 pence. In AD 1811, plans were revealed for new tokens in denominations of 5 shillings and 6 pence, 3 shillings, and 1 shilling and 6 pence. By the end of AD 1816, the extensive recoinage at the Mint was nearly complete, and the Bank coins, which had amounted to nearly £4.5 million, were soon withdrawn from circulation.

物件編號: A1393

年代: 公元 1804 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 39.8 x 39.8 x 2.0 mm

重量: 26.05 g

製造地: 蘇荷鑄幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚公元1804年於蘇荷鑄幣廠所鑄造的1元銀代幣，其面值為5先令，銀幣正面展示喬治三世戴桂冠、披袍的右臉像，周圍環繞拉丁文銘文「GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX」，意為「蒙上帝之恩，喬治三世國王」。背面則可見面向左邊，呈現坐姿的不列顛尼亞。她右手持橄欖枝，左手持矛，身旁有聯合旗幟的盾牌、左邊有蜂箱、右邊有豐饒角，所有圖案置於由五座圓形石塔組成的城堡式「皇冠」的環繞下。圖案四周刻有「BANK OF ENGLAND FIVE SHILLINGS DOLLAR 1804」的銘文。

公元1804年，英國由於拿破崙戰爭的爆發使得原先數量就稀少的銀幣更為短缺，因此英格蘭銀行獲得授權，將西班牙銀元重新打印，定為五先令。英格蘭銀行利用瓦特的蒸汽機，開發了一種可以迅速刪除西班牙銀幣設計並替換新設計的壓印機。這些硬幣於公元1804年至公元1811年間鑄造，但均印有公元1804年的日期。

隨著銀價上漲，英格蘭銀行的銀元很快就升值，因此銀行宣布將以五先令六便士的匯率接受其五先令硬幣。公元1811年，宣佈發行新的五先令六便士、三先令和一先令六便士的硬幣計劃。到公元1816年底，造幣廠的大規模重新鑄幣幾乎完成，銀行發行的代幣總額近450萬英鎊後不久即被召回。