Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 11/12/2009

Question
I have a Georgius IV DEI Gratia coin that was made into a piece of jewelry. It has a lion on top of a crown of what looks like flowers and it is enamelled in red and blue. The lion on one side and head of Georgius IV are in gold. It's set in a glass casing and appears to be worn as a necklace. The side w/ the lion reads BRITANNIARUM REX FIDIE DEFENSOR, and the side with the head reads GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA 1829. In the research I've done it appears these coins were from 1826. What exactly do I have and is it a misprint or were they in fact made in 1829 as well?

Answer
Hi Megan,
Does the side with the lion read "FIDIE DEFENSOR" fully written out, or does it just have an abbreviated "Fid. Def."?
The actual crown and half-crown coins that this piece is designed after would have the abbreviated version. There are no English coins from this time frame that have this legend fully written out.
The overall design sounds very similar to a crown (1826 only) or half-crown (1825, '26, '28 and '29). However, these would not depict a lion atop the crown, rather there would be small lions on a shield below the crown.
What you have is not actually an enameled coin, but rather a medallion made specifically as a piece of jewelry. This is somewhat unfortunate, since original coins that have been enameled by a skilled artist can easily run $500+.
The value on your piece would depend on the quality. A crude piece will not be worth very much, while a high quality art object in good condition can be close to the value of the enameled coin example.
If you would like to post a follow-up question with a picture of the item, I can be of more help.
Please don't forget to rate this answer.
Thanks for the question! =)