Proclamation Coin – Great Britain 1787 Shilling

In my previous entry about Australian proclamation coins I mentioned the 1787 Shilling of Great Britain which was valued at 1s 1d (1 shilling and 1 pence) in the proclamation and traded in early colonial Australia. Minted from about 6 grams of sterling silver you can see an example of the British 1787 proclamation shilling above (click the image to enlarge). King George III minted silver coins sporadically in the 18th century and 1787 was the biggest mintage of shillings under his reign until the great re-coinage began in 1816.
The obverse depicts the older laureate bust of George III. The 1787 shilling was minted with three different obverses, the most common with the dot above the head, or less commonly with no dot (or stop) above the head. The least common variety has no dots on the obverse at all.
The reverse depicts cruciform shields with coats of arms and cruciform crowns. The reverse came in two varieties, with or without the semee of hearts in the Hanoverian coat of arms. These varieties are the two best known varieties of this coin and the fractional proclamation 1787 6d is also available in the same variety.

When looking to purchase one of these coins you should look for a piece with original surfaces. This can be difficult as most 200 year old coins have had some sort of cleaning in their lifetime. Mid grade coins are quite affordable with higher grade coins coming up quite frequently at auction or on online auction sites. As always try to buy the best coin you can afford rather than compromising on quality. I believe an original toned VF coin has a lot more eye appeal than a dipped blast white EF coin.