Coin dealer directory
History of money: United Kingdom
From the first coins to today – and where to find coin dealers.
The silver penny has been struck in England since Anglo-Saxon times, and the pound of 240 pence – a system going back to Charlemagne – lasted more than a thousand years. Henry VII introduced the first gold sovereign in 1489, and the guinea, named after gold from West Africa, followed in 1663.
After the Great Recoinage of 1816, the modern gold sovereign with St George and the dragon appeared in 1817 and became a world trade coin. Silver coins were reduced to 50% silver in 1920 and replaced by copper-nickel in 1947.
On Decimal Day, 15 February 1971, the pound was divided into 100 new pence. The round £1 coin arrived in 1983 and the 12-sided £1 in 2017. Collectors look for hammered medieval coins, sovereigns, pre-1947 silver and rare modern 50p designs.
Coin dealers – United Kingdom
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