2 Pence - George III 2nd issue; 'Cartwheel'

Reverse

Seated figure of Britannia facing left, trident in left hand, olive branch in raised right hand, shield bearing Union flag resting on left, sea behind with ship on left, mint name below shield, legend above and date below on raised rim.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
BRITANNIA.
SOHO
1797

Engraver: Conrad Heinrich Küchler

Edge

Plain

Comment

The largest regal coin to circulate in Britain, these pieces were produced by Matthew Boulton using a steam powered press at the Soho mint in Birmingham beginning in 1797.

From 1770 until the end of the 18th century the practice of melting down the official copper coins and making lightweight forgeries had become so widespread that it prompted industrialist Matthew Boulton to offer a potential solution. He proposed that each coin should actually be made to contain its value in copper (two ounces avoirdupois), that the quality should be improved by using a retaining collar during striking (to give a perfectly round coin) and by designing the coins with thick raised borders to prevent them wearing so easily.

This type was struck in copper by Boulton for several years after 1797 with no change in date, along with some later strikes in a variety of metals. Further restrikes were produced by W.J. Taylor when he bought the dies in 1848; the chief way these later issues can be distinguished is by marks resulting from die corrosion.

The sheer weight of these coins means that they are very susceptable to edge knocks. They were found to be too heavy for regular use and no more copper or bronze twopence coins were struck until decimalisation in 1971.

Interesting fact

Price

Date	Mintage	VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
1797	722100	-	-	-	-	-	-

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 2 Pence - George III (2nd issue; 'Cartwheel') 1797 coin.