1697 Shilling – William III


The 1697 Shilling - William III

William III Shilling minted in 1697 by the Royal Mint at the Tower Mint in London. Silver, diameter 27mm and weighs 5.91g. 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 1697 coin variants has many minor design and 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 1697, the date being divided by the crown over the shield of England.

Image credit: Museums Victoria


Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
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.
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S3497, 1697 William III Shilling, Very Fine / Fine
S3497, 1697 William III Shilling, Very Fine / Fine
£ 145.00
1697 William III Milled Silver Five 5 Shillings Scotland 2.270g
1697 William III Milled Silver Five 5 Shillings Scotland 2.270g 'Holed' CO06FG
£ 45.00
1697 William III Milled Silver Five 5 Shillings Scotland 2.165g CO07AA
1697 William III Milled Silver Five 5 Shillings Scotland 2.165g CO07AA
£ 50.00
1697  One Shilling Coin- William III British Silver Norwich Mint POSSIBLY 1697
1697 One Shilling Coin- William III British Silver Norwich Mint POSSIBLY 1697
£ 19.99
1697 William III Silver Shilling - Third Bust
1697 William III Silver Shilling - Third Bust
£ 130.00
1697 William III Milled Silver Five 5 Shillings Scotland 2.223g
1697 William III Milled Silver Five 5 Shillings Scotland 2.223g 'Holed' CO07AB
£ 45.00
King William III Early Milled Sterling Silver Shilling Coin 1697 Fair Condition
King William III Early Milled Sterling Silver Shilling Coin 1697 Fair Condition
£ 45.00
William The 3rd Sixpence rare
William The 3rd Sixpence rare
£ 70.00

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