Obverse: identify the front

The photographed 1816 KM 665 example shows the laureate head of George III facing right, with the date below. The other included portraits differ: George IV faces left on KM 678, William IV faces right on KM 712, KM 779 shows the mature Victoria portrait and KM 815 George V facing left. The actual 1816 photograph represents one included type rather than every later monarch.

Reverse: identify the back

The photographed 1816 reverse has a crowned and garnished royal shield inside the Garter and its surrounding motto. KM 678 has crowned arms; KM 712 and KM 779 use crowned denomination-and-wreath arrangements, and KM 815 shows a lion atop a crown dividing the date. Keep the exact date, portrait and reverse together when matching a coin to its reference.

History and purpose

The reviewed types span several reigns following the 1816 coinage. Only types with the explicitly matched the reference inputs are included. The sparse William IV list and the separately reviewed mature Victoria/George V types leave substantial intervening coverage uncompleted. Exclusion from this guide is not evidence that a coin was never issued; it means its exact type or reference input is not covered by this guide.

How to identify this variant

Check sixpence denomination, actual face year, royal portrait, complete legend, reverse and finish. The 1920 boundary cannot be selected by date alone: the reference includes a 1920 sterling row in KM 815 but its KM 815a.1 and Royal Mint’s George V reference describe half-silver coinage from 1920. This guide excludes that unresolved sterling row. Plain-edge proofs and circulation pieces must retain their exact finish attribution.

Understanding its metal content

The matched the reference uses .0841 fine silver troy ounce and 2.8276 gross grams per included coin. Three matching pieces contribute .2523 reference fine silver troy ounce and 8.4828 nominal gross grams. The reference supplies ASW to four decimals; small last-digit differences from multiplying rounded gross mass and fineness are not silently normalized. Gross alloy mass, fine silver content and current market value are separate measures.

Dates, varieties and composition changes

Actual included years are 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1831, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919. KM 665 includes 1817 plain/milled-edge proof distinctions, 1819/8 and its proof, and an 1820 inverted-I row. KM 678 includes the 1821 BBITANIAR legend error and proof. KM 712 includes 1831 plain/milled-edge proofs, 1834/1835 round-topped-3 proofs and 1836/1837 proofs; 1832 and 1833 are absent from that inspected table. KM 779 includes 1893 proof and KM 815 includes the 1911 proof. Finish variants do not add a second calendar year.

The reference KM 760 Jubilee Victoria 1887–1893 gives 2.83 g/.0842 oz; KM 799 Edward VII 1902–1910 gives 3.01 g/.0895 oz although Royal Mint gives 2.83 g/.925 for that family. Neither presentation is silently merged into this selected reference. The 1920 sterling row remains excluded alongside the separately supported half-silver boundary. Unreviewed George IV and earlier Victoria types are also outside the stated calculation scope.

Melt value versus collector value

Exact year, portrait, legend error, overdate, proof finish, condition and provenance can affect collector interest independently of reference silver. Preserve edge evidence and established attribution. Avoid cleaning or polishing; neither a bright surface nor the reference metal amount establishes grade or a buying offer.

Authenticity and condition

Use complete obverse, reverse and edge photographs with measured mass and diameter where possible. Matching a dated reference entry is not an authentication certificate. Wear, plating, altered dates, replicas and uncertain proofs require individual examination. No missing universal diameter or complete-series mint attribution is supplied merely to fill a field.

Selling this coin

Separate these matching sterling types from half-silver sixpences, conflicting Edward VII entries and uncertain coins. State each actual date, portrait and finish when sending complete photographs to CashForCoins for appraisal. Reference weight and quantity describe a holding; individual identity, condition and authenticity inform evaluation.

Sources and calculation methodology

The calculation is limited to inspected reference KM 665, KM 678, KM 712, KM 779 and KM 815 rows dated before 1920 that each give 2.8276 g/.925/.0841 oz. The broader the reference melt group’s 3.01 g/.0895 oz is retained as comparison evidence, and conflicting or differently rounded presentations remain explicitly outside scope. Royal Mint’s Edward VII and George V specifications are primary cross-checks, not replacement inputs for this calculation. Actual years are drawn from dated rows rather than inferred from a broad reign or route interval.

Museums Victoria records the photographed 1816 specimen at 2.644 g and 20 mm. Those individual measurements do not replace the matching reference nominal reference or establish a universal diameter for the other included types.

Common questions

References

• NGC: British sixpence KM 665 dated specifications and issue years — Exact NGC reference: 2.8276 g, .925 fineness and .0841 fine silver troy ounce; actual annual rows: 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820. Identity, weight and dates: the named type and expressly enumerated included/excluded annual rows; no broad-span autofill. (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: British sixpence KM 678 dated specifications and issue years — Exact NGC reference: 2.8276 g, .925 fineness and .0841 fine silver troy ounce; actual annual rows: 1821. Identity, weight and dates: the named type and expressly enumerated included/excluded annual rows; no broad-span autofill. (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: British sixpence KM 779 dated specifications and issue years — Exact NGC reference: 2.8276 g, .925 fineness and .0841 fine silver troy ounce; actual annual rows: 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901. Identity, weight and dates: the named type and expressly enumerated included/excluded annual rows; no broad-span autofill. (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: British sixpence KM 815 dated specifications and issue years — Exact NGC reference: 2.8276 g, .925 fineness and .0841 fine silver troy ounce; actual annual rows: 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920. The raw 1920 sterling row is documented but excluded from this calculation because the boundary conflicts with the half-silver references. Identity, weight and dates: the named type and expressly enumerated included/excluded annual rows; no broad-span autofill. (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: British sixpence KM 712 dated specifications and issue years — Exact NGC reference: 2.8276 g, .925 fineness and .0841 fine silver troy ounce; actual annual rows: 1831, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837. Identity, weight and dates: the named type and expressly enumerated included/excluded annual rows; no broad-span autofill. (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: designated broader British silver sixpence melt comparison — Legacy broad-group 3.01 g/.925/.0895 oz comparison; not the proposed matching calculation (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: excluded Jubilee Victoria KM 760 — Excluded 2.83 g/.0842 oz reference presentation; not an asserted new physical standard (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: excluded Edward VII KM 799 — Actual 1902–1910 rows and conflicting 3.01 g/.925/.0895 oz (checked 2026-10-12)
• Royal Mint: Edward VII sixpence primary specification — Primary 2.83 g/.925 specification for 1902–1910 family contradicts NGC KM 799 (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC: George V half-silver sixpence KM 815a .1 — Actual 1920 half-silver .500 row; boundary conflict with KM 815 sterling 1920 (checked 2026-10-12)
• Royal Mint: George V half-silver sixpence — Issuer explicitly .500 silver and 1920–1936 span; corroborates exclusion of unresolved sterling 1920 row (checked 2026-10-12)
• Museums Victoria: 1816 George III sixpence — Actual 1816 type design, Royal Mint London attribution, specimen dimensions and photographer CC BY 4.0 evidence Diameter: measured1816 specimen dimension, not an invented universal family module. (checked 2026-10-12)

Issue-year references

• NGC: British sixpence KM 665 dated issue years
• NGC: British sixpence KM 678 dated issue years
• NGC: British sixpence KM 712 dated issue years
• NGC: British sixpence KM 779 dated issue years
• NGC: British sixpence KM 815 dated issue years

Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-12. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.

Related coins

British Silver Sixpence — .500 Dated Types

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

United Kingdom • 50% silver; remaining alloy metals not independently verified

Issue years: 1920–1946

Fine silver: 0.045500 troy oz

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