Tracing The Elusive 1775 Pattern Shilling – Gary Oddie

This note brings to an end a long search for a specimen of the 1775 pattern shilling of George III. Listed as R4 or R5, regular (5-10 year) sightings at auction or sale were anticipated, however this assumption caused the author to be looking in the wrong places all along. Embarrassingly, two specimens have been found in captivity (Royal Mint Museum and British Museum) and in identifying their provenances a third specimen has been identified and is possibly still in the wild (ex Hyman Montagu).