The 1762 Quarter-Guinea The Quarter-Guinea was only issued twice: first in 1718 (George I), and then in 1762 (George III) when the mint decided to ignore all the reasons why the 1718 coin failed. The story was the same in both cases.
The Guinea at the time was valued at 21 shillings (one pound and one shilling). According to an inflation calculator, one pound (20 shillings) would be worth about £206 in today's terms, so a Guinea was an lot of money and there was a need for smaller denominations.
Thus, the Quarter Guinea. Worth 5/3d (five shillings and three pence) it was a more manageable value, equivalent to a £50 note these days, but even so a sizeable amount. This would be OK as a large silver coin like a Crown, but as silver had risen in price considerably at the time it was decided that the Quarter Guinea should be a gold coin.
You can read more details in our article The Quarter-Guinea and Other Problems.
To keep the proportions of the Guinea and Half-Guinea, the Quarter Guinea was therefore a small 22 carat gold coin with a diameter of 16mm and a weight of 2.1g. To compare, that is 2mm smaller than a modern 5p coin (which weighs 3.25g).
Imagine today having a £50 coin that small? You'd be terrified of losing it, and back in 1762 they were too. It was very unpopular. The Quarter-Guinea was never made again.
Despite the small size, the coin itself packed as much detail as the Guinea coin itself. The Obverse shows the portrait of George III by Richard Yeo (~1720–1779).
The Reverse is a large and elaborate crowned shield. Some call this a "Four-fold arms design".
The massive inscription is "M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E" (plus the date "1762") meaning "King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland; Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire".
I have read that about 1,135,000 Quarter Guineas were minted, although many may have been soon re-melted due to its unpopularity. You see them on sale in F to EF condition for about £200-£900.
Images used by permission of The Royal Mint
Mintage: 1,135,000 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint
Minted in 1762. See Coins and Events of 1762
Monarch/Ruler: George III (1760-1820)
Category: Guineas. See more Guinea coins
and see which Guinea coins have the lowest mintage.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
List items on:
 | 1762 Quarter Guinea, George III £ 950.00 |
 | George 3rd third Of A Guinea. £ 465.70 |
 | 1762 Quarter Guinea – George III Gold Coin – Very High Grade – Rare Early Issue £ 761.50 |
 | 1762 George III Quarter Guinea Gold Coin £ 593.20 |
 | Rare 1762 George III 22 carat Gold Quarter Guinea One Year Only Issue 2.11g £ 1,025.68 |
 | 1718 Quarter Guinea, George I £ 975.00 |
 | Great Britain. 1718 George 1 - Quarter Guinea.. gVF - Trace Lustre £ 1,310.04 |
List items on: