George IV penny defaced by satirical writing (c. 1826 England)

Bronze

Dated 1826

1.40inch

3.56 cm

Extremely Fine. The engraved writing on the obverse is very crisp

Historically very interesting George IV bronze penny. The face of George IV on the obverse is covered with defamatory writing in a very clear, crisp script as follows: "The Patron of Vice and Frivolity.. the modern Fine English Gentleman". The reverse of the penny, which is struck with the seated figure of Britannia has been left untouched.
It seems that there is a small family of such defaced coins in the George IV era which have all been written by the same hand. George IV was known as a patron of the arts but he was despised by the more conservative members of the public for being a spendthrift and a womaniser. He was dubbed "The Prince of Pleasure" among other names. During the Regency period, the scandals and social turmoil of the upper classes contrasted strongly with Jane Austen's novels depicting a time of decorum and gentility. This contrast was accentuated by the sobering background of the Napoleonic Wars and unprecedented industrial change.

gbp 370.00 (Pound Sterling)

Choose currency: AUD - Australian Dollar BRL - Brazilian Real CAD - Canadian Dollar CZK - Czech Koruna DKK - Danish Krone EUR - Euro HKD - Hong Kong Dollar TRY - New Turkish Lira NZD - New Zealand Dollar NOK - Norwegian Krone GBP - Pound Sterling ZAR - Rand RUB - Russian Ruble SGD - Singapore Dollar SEK - Swedish Krona CHF - Swiss Franc USD - US Dollar JPY - Yen PLN - Zloty
Please note: This is a guide conversion price only as we update our currency table every six hours, please check with dealer which currencies are an acceptable form of payment.

Please email or call +44 (0)20-7431 2688 for more information or to purchase this item.

FOR SALE