Material: Silver (.500)
Diameter: 28.5 mm
Weight: 11.31 g
Mint / Mintmark: Royal Mint, London (no mintmark)
Obverse: This 1938 Great Britain silver two shillings coin—popularly referred to as a florin—features the crisp, left-facing uncrowned portrait of King George VI. Masterfully created by the prominent designer Thomas Humphrey Paget, the bare head displays incredibly realistic hair and jawline definition, accented on the neck truncation by his microscopic "HP" artist initials. The portrait is bordered by a precise beaded rim and the formal Latin legend GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX, proclaiming him King of all the Britains by the grace of God. This particular specimen shows a highly attractive, uncleaned circulating state, boasting a warm golden-amber toning that clings softly to the fields surrounding the silver portrait profile.
Reverse: Crowned Tudor rose flanked by thistle and shamrock; legend FID:DEF:IND:IMP TWO SHILLINGS 1938; the letters G and R to either side of the rose represent Georgius Rex (King George); design by George Kruger Gray.
Circa: 1938
Condition: Very Fine to Extremely Fine (light wear, strong central detail, even tone)
Notes:
The 1938 issue stands out as a highly desirable year for collectors because the Royal Mint struck a relatively low volume of only 7,909,388 pieces. This makes it significantly scarcer than later wartime issues of the 1940s, which regularly saw production numbers surge past twenty to forty million coins annually to support the commercial economy.