1081878 | GREAT BRITAIN. George III. (King, 1760-1820). 1782 CU Pattern Guinea. NGC PR65BN (Brown). Edge: Plain. Laureate bust, right; long wiry hair across neck, behind and under truncation, ornate scalloped rim with pellets in arcs / Crowned garnished shield; legend with abbreviations of Royal titles surrounding. W&R 100 Variant in Copper.

Currently the finest known at NGC as of January 2025. Mislabeled by NGC as a Half-Guinea


Please use this link to verify the NGC certification number 2027694115




Off-metal strike of one of a series of pattern guineas of slightly reduced diameter engraved by Lewis Pingo for Earl Stanhope. These designs were never adopted nor issued for coinage. The gold variants are all very rare. It is reported that extra pieces were struck in copper and were sold to collectors. Their mintage is unknown but they were struck in small numbers.

The design was intended to frustrate counterfeiters and edge-shavers (known as 'clippers') at a time when clipping of gold coins had become an major issue and destructive of countless guineas. These experimental designs seemed to resolve the matter, but nothing ever came of the endeavour, leaving collectors with these patterns.