1696 Shilling – William III


The 1696 Shilling - William III

William III Shilling minted in 1696 by the Royal Mint at the Tower Mint in London. Silver, diameter 27mm and weighs 5.64g. A shilling was 12 old pence, equivalent to the 5p coin in modern coinage.

Design is Spink 3497, First Bust and was used 1695-1697 with many variations. The 1696 coin variants include a 6/5 overstrike and many text/font variations. Coins were also struck at other mints outside London.

The Obverse shows the laureate bust of King William III facing right. Legend is "GVLIELMVS III DEI GRA".

Edge has diagonal milling (///).

The Reverse has crowned cruciform shields of England, Scotland, France and Ireland forming a cross shape around the arms of Nassau at the centre. Legend around is "MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX ET" and 1696, the date being divided by the crown over the shield of England.

Image credit: Museums Victoria


Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1696 ?
Monarch is King William III. The Great Recoinage of 1696: The Parliament of England passes the Recoinage Act which was an attempt by the English Government to replace the hammered silver that made up most of the coinage in circulation, much of it being clipped and badly worn. It was not entirely successful. Shortage of silver coinage forces the guinea to be officially revalued at 21 shillings, instead of 30 shillings. Window tax introduced.
William III (1694-1702)
William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth. He was born in Binnenhof, South Holland, Netherlands.

William III was King of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702, co-reigning with his wife, Queen Mary II (m. 1677–1694, her death). He was also know as King Billy.

The regnal years for William III coins were:
1699:UNDECIMO; 1700:DVODECIMO; 1701:DECIMO TERTIO.

On coins, William is usually spelled as latin: Gulielmus III.
Category: Shillings
The Shilling (written 1/-) is one-twentienth of a pound, worth 12 old pence (5 new pence). It is traditionally a silver coin, but since 1947 it has been made from cupro-nickel. Shillings are known as 'Bobs'.

Shillings are old coins and the English shilling has been around since about 1549, although there were 12 pence coins before that called Testoons from about 1489. The British shillings was the continuation from 1707.

After decimalisation on 15 February 1971, the coin was replaced by the five new pence piece. Originally, the 5p coin was the same size as the shilling but was later made much smaller.
Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.
If you don't see a coin in the list below try the Shillings page on eBay UK
As an eBay Partner, We may be compensated if you make a purchase.

List items on:

1696 Bristol Shilling - B Below Bust - Rare Coin - A Clear Example
1696 Bristol Shilling - B Below Bust - Rare Coin - A Clear Example
£ 60.00
1696 King William III Silver Shilling, Nice Grade
1696 King William III Silver Shilling, Nice Grade
£ 75.00
WILLIAM III 1696B 1st BUST BRISTOL SHILLING
WILLIAM III 1696B 1st BUST BRISTOL SHILLING
£ 72.00
1696 London Shilling - Unusual/Unique Obverse Legends As Pictured
1696 London Shilling - Unusual/Unique Obverse Legends As Pictured
£ 75.00
1696 Shilling William III British Silver Coin
1696 Shilling William III British Silver Coin
£ 49.00
1696 Chester Shilling - C Below Bust - Rare Coin - A Clear Example
1696 Chester Shilling - C Below Bust - Rare Coin - A Clear Example
£ 150.00
1696 William III sixpence  Great Britain silver coin
1696 William III sixpence Great Britain silver coin
£ 40.00
1696 1 Shilling - William III Silver (.925) • 6.0 g • ⌀ 25 mm Sp# 3497, KM# 485
1696 1 Shilling - William III Silver (.925) • 6.0 g • ⌀ 25 mm Sp# 3497, KM# 485
£ 131.45

List items on: