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  • 1788 Gold Spade Guinea George III Fifth Laureate Head Obverse
    Obverse of 1788 Spade Guinea
  • 1788 Crowned Spade Shield Reverse of Gold Spade Guinea
    Reverse of 1788 Spade Guinea
  • 1788 Gold Spade Guinea George III Fifth Laureate Head Obverse
  • 1788 Crowned Spade Shield Reverse of Gold Spade Guinea
Estimated UK Delivery
£6.00
Stock status
Out Of Stock
Product ID
11093

1788 Gold Spade Guinea George III

The fifth laureate issue of George III spade guineas is probably the best known, named after their spade shaped shield reverse desgin.

The gold guinea coin features the fith laureate portrait of King George III on the obverse, with the reverse showing the famed spade shaped shield. 

Photographs shown may not be the actual coin and may differ in terms of grade, die numbers, design flaws and other minor details.

from £671.85

(Special Scheme Inc. VAT)
Totals are approximate until metal prices are confirmed on the next LBMA fix.

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Price List

Terms & Delivery

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Spade Guinea Coins

"Spade" or "Spade Ace" guineas are the most famous version of this well known gold coin, even though they were only issued for thirteen years from 1787 to 1799. Please see our Guinea Story page for a potted history of the guinea.

If it had not been for the "military guinea" issued in 1813 to pay for the campaign against Napoleon, the spade guineas of George III would have been the last guinea issue.

The fifth head issue of George III guineas had a spade shaped shield on their reverse instead of the garnished shields used on previous issues. Because these were virtually the last type of guinea to be issued, they are found more abundantly than the earlier versions. Because of the spade shaped shield they have for a long time been known as "spade guineas" or "spade ace" guineas, the latter because they resemble the ace of spades as usually portrayed on playing cards.

During recent years, they have been getting scarcer, particularly in better grades.

The 1788 Guinea is a particularly sought-after date for Australian numismatists because that year marked the foundation of the first British settlement in Australia in what later became known as New South Wales.

Obverse

Fifth head of George III, facing right.

GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA

Reverse

Crowned shade shaped shield, with date below.

M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E

Specification

Diameter 25 to 26 mm.
Weight 8.3500 grams
Alloy 22 carat
Fineness 0.9166
Actual Gold Content 0.2461 ounces.
Price List
ObverseReversePriceAvailability
aFinegFine£671.85Out Of Stock
Terms & Delivery

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out. 

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

  • Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6. 

Orders under £60

  • Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products. 

  • Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
  • Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee. 

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.