Dei Gratia Rex (abbreviated as D. G. Rex) is a Latin title inscribed on coins meaning, By the Grace of God, King. The corresponding title for a queen is Dei Gratia Regina (abbreviated as D. G. Regina or D. G. Reg).
This phrase is circumscribed on the obverse of many British and Canadian coins. [1] The phrase, or some variation of it, has also been used on past coinage issued in Australia, Austria, Cyprus, Spain, and Sweden. In addition to coinage, the phrase is also used on the obverse side of some medals in the Commonwealth realms.
Australian coins included the phrase Dei Gratia Rex or Dei Gratia Regina in some form, including abbreviations, until 1964. With the introduction of decimal coinage in 1966, the phrase was formally dropped. [2]
Pre-1918 coins of the Austrian Empire that showed the bust of the emperor or empress included the initials D. G., for the Latin Dei Gratia. [3]
Canadian coins struck during Queen Victoria's reign read Dei gratia Regina. [4]
Canadian coins minted from 1902 until 1910 under King Edward VII read Dei gratia Rex Imperator or D:G Rex Imperator which is Latin for "by the grace of God, King Emperor". [1] The Dei gratia portion was removed temporarily from Canadian coinage in 1911 and led to such a public uproar over the "godless" coins that it was returned to Canadian coinage in the subsequent year. [5]
From 1911 to 1936, under George V, it read Dei gra:Rex et Ind:Imp which stands for Dei gratia Rex et Indiae Imperator which means "by the grace of God, King and Emperor of India". [1]
From 1937 to 1947 under the reign of George VI, it was abbreviated D:G:Rex et Ind:Imp or Dei gra Rex et Ind:Imp. From 1948 to 1952, still under George VI, after the independence of India, they read Dei gratia Rex. [1]
From 1953 until 1964, under Queen Elizabeth II it read Dei gratia Regina and from 1965 onwards, it was abbreviated on all coins to the current phrase of D. G. Regina. [1]
However, some commemorative coins issued under Elizabeth II do not include the phrase Dei gratia Regina or its abbreviated version. Canadian coins that do not have the phrase on its obverse include 1976 Montreal Olympics, 25¢ coins for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, (but not the $1 coin issued for the same games), the 2001 10¢ coin commemorating volunteers, the 1982 $1 coin commemorating the patriation of the constitution, the 1984 Jacques Cartier commemorative dollar coin, the $2 coin issued in 2008 commemorating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, and the 2012 $2 coin commemorating the War of 1812. [6]
In November 2023, with Royal Canadian Mint revealing the new coins bearing King Charles III's effigy, the phrase switched again to D. G. Rex. [7]
Decimal coins of Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia issued before they joined Canada also include some variation of the phrase Dei gratia Regina or Dei gratia Rex.
Cyprus, while under British rule, included the phrase Dei Gratia Rex (or Regina) in some form on its coins until 1952. It was dropped after Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne in 1952, when the language of the legend was changed from Latin to English. [8]
As part of Austria-Hungary, Hungary minted its own version of coins after the Compromise of 1867 until the end of WWI. The obverse of some coins bore the phrase ISTEN KEGYELMÉBŐL but always in the abbreviated form I.K.
The Bailiwick of Jersey included the phrase Dei Gratia Rex (or Regina) Fid. Def. in some form on its coins until 1952. It was dropped after Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne in 1952. [9]
Many Spanish coins prior to 1937 included the Spanish phrase por la gracia de Dios. Those coins issued after 1937 under Franco that had his image included the phrase Caudillo de España por la G. de Dios. With the resumption of democracy under a constitutional monarchy after 1975 the phrase was dropped from Spanish coins. [10]
Some coins minted during the reign of Queen Christina of Sweden bear an inscription of CHRISTINA D.G.R.S. on the obverse, and at least one 17th-century Swedish silver medal depicts Karl XI, bearing the inscription CAROLVS XI DEI GRATIA SVEC GOTH VANDAL REX (Karl XI, with God's grace, King of the Svears, Goths and Vandals), the reverse depicting Ulrika Eleonora with the inscription VLRICA ELEONORA DEI GRATIA REGINA SVECIAE (Ulrika Eleonora, with God's grace, Queen of Sweden). [11] Although some Swedish coins continue to bear the bust of the monarch, the phrase is no longer on the coins. [12]
United Kingdom coins have for some time included the phrase Dei Gratia Regina (or Rex/RegFid Def or some form of it). When Elizabeth II ascended to the throne, coins of the pound sterling initially had the phrase Dei Gratia Britanniarum Omnium Regina Fidei Defensatrix (by the Grace of God, of all the Britains Queen, Defender of the Faith), or some form abbreviated form of the phrase. Britanniarum Omnium was later dropped from the phrase in 1954, with no reference to any realm made on coins issued after that year.
Presently, most coins of the pound sterling have an abbreviated version of the phrase, Dei Gra Reg Fid Def, or Dei Gra Reg F. D, circumscribed on the obverse
The noble was the first English gold coin produced in quantity, introduced during the second coinage (1344–1346) of King Edward III. It was preceded by the gold penny and the florin, minted during the reign of King Henry III and the beginning of the reign of King Edward III; these saw little circulation. The derivatives of the noble, the half noble and quarter noble, on the other hand, were produced in quantity and were very popular.
The half farthing was a British coin worth 1⁄1920 of a pound, 1⁄96 of a shilling, or 1⁄8 of a penny. The coins were minted in copper for use in British Ceylon in various years between 1828 and 1856, and as a bronze proof coin in 1868. In 1842, they were also declared legal tender in the United Kingdom. Half farthings were demonetised along with all other British copper coins on 31 December 1869.
The history of the English penny from 1603 to 1707 covers the period of the House of Stuart, up to the Acts of Union of 1707 which brought about the Union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland.
The penny of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901, the period in which the House of Hanover reigned, saw the transformation of the penny from a little-used small silver coin to the bronze piece recognisable to modern-day Britons. All bear the portrait of the monarch on the obverse; copper and bronze pennies have a depiction of Britannia, the female personification of Britain, on the reverse.
The British penny, a large, pre-decimal coin which continued the series of pennies which began in about the year 700, was struck intermittently during the 20th century until its withdrawal from circulation after 1970. From 1901 to 1970, the obverse of the bronze coin depicted the monarch who was reigning at the start of the year. The reverse, which featured an image of Britannia seated with shield, trident, and helm, was created by Leonard Charles Wyon based on an earlier design by his father, William Wyon. The coins were also used in British colonies and dominions that had not issued their own coins.
The British florin, or two-shilling piece, was a coin worth 1⁄10 of one pound, or 24 pence. It was issued from 1849 until 1967, with a final issue for collectors dated 1970. It was the last coin circulating immediately prior to decimalisation to be demonetised, in 1993, having for a quarter of a century circulated alongside the ten-pence piece, identical in specifications and value.
The British pre-decimal halfpenny,, once abbreviated ob., was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1/480 of one pound, 1/24 of one shilling, or 1/2 of one penny. Originally the halfpenny was minted in copper, but after 1860 it was minted in bronze. In the run-up to decimalisation, it ceased to be legal tender from 31 July 1969. The halfpenny featured two different designs on its reverse during its years in circulation. From 1672 until 1936 the image of Britannia appeared on the reverse, and from 1937 onwards the image of the Golden Hind appeared. Like all British coinage, it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse.
The British farthing abbreviated qua., was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1/960 of one pound, 1/48 of one shilling, or 1/4 of one penny; initially minted in copper and then in bronze, which replaced the earlier English farthings. Before Decimal Day in 1971, Britain used the Carolingian monetary system, wherein the largest unit was a pound sterling of 20 shillings, each of 12 pence. Each penny was divided into 4 farthings, thus, a pound sterling contained 960 farthings, and a shilling contained 48 farthings. From 1860 to 1971, the purchasing power of a farthing ranged between 12p and 0.2p in 2017 values.
The British threepence piece, usually simply known as a threepence, thruppence, or thruppenny bit, was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄80 of one pound or 1⁄4 of one shilling. It was used in the United Kingdom, and earlier in Great Britain and England. Similar denominations were later used throughout the British Empire and Commonwealth countries, notably in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The five pound British gold coin, also known as a quintuple sovereign, has a nominal value of five pounds sterling. It has been struck intermittently since 1820, though as a circulation coin only in 1887, 1893 and 1902. Through most of its history, it has depicted, on its reverse, Benedetto Pistrucci's portrayal of St George and the Dragon, which has traditionally been used on the sovereign, or one-pound gold coin.
The guinea was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where much of the gold used to make the coins was sourced. It was the first English machine-struck gold coin, originally representing a value of 20 shillings in sterling specie, equal to one pound, but rises in the price of gold relative to silver caused the value of the guinea to increase, at times to as high as thirty shillings. From 1717 to 1816, its value was officially fixed at twenty-one shillings.
The half guinea gold coin of the Kingdom of England and later of Great Britain was first produced in 1669, some years after the Guinea entered circulation. It was officially eliminated in the Great Recoinage of 1816, although, like the guinea, it was used in quoting prices until decimalisation.
The unite was the second English gold coin first produced during the reign of King James I. It was named after the legends on the coin indicating the king's intention of uniting his two kingdoms of England and Scotland. The unite was valued at twenty shillings until 1612 when the increase in the value of gold throughout Europe caused it to be raised to twenty-two shillings. The coin was produced during James I's second coinage (1604–1619), and it was replaced in the third coinage by the Laurel worth twenty shillings. All the coins were produced at the Tower Mint in London.
The Great Seal of the Realm is a seal that is used to symbolise the sovereign's approval of state documents. It is also known as the Great Seal of the United Kingdom. To make it, sealing wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to seal officially. The formal keeper of the seal is the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
The British farthing was a British coin worth a quarter of an old penny. It ceased to be struck after 1956 and was demonetised from 1 January 1961.
The coins of Canada are produced by the Royal Canadian Mint and denominated in Canadian dollars ($) and the subunit of dollars, cents (¢). An effigy of the reigning monarch always appears on the obverse of all coins. There are standard images which appear on the reverse, but there are also commemorative and numismatic issues with different images on the reverse.
The British halfpenny coin was worth 1/480th of a pound sterling. At first in its 700-year history it was made from silver, but as the value of silver increased the coin was made from base metals. It was finally abandoned in 1969 as part of the process of decimalising the British currency. "Halfpenny", colloquially written ha'penny, was pronounced HAY-pə-nee; "1 ½d" was spoken as a penny ha'penny or three ha'pence.
The threepence or threepenny bit was a denomination of currency used by various jurisdictions in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, valued at 1/80 of a pound or 1⁄4 of a shilling until decimalisation of the pound sterling and Irish pound in 1971. It was also used in some parts of the British Empire, notably Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The double sovereign is a gold coin of the United Kingdom with a nominal value of two pounds sterling (£2). Rarely issued in the first century and a half after its debut in 1820, it never had a significant presence in circulation. It is now a collector and bullion coin, and has been struck most years since 1980. It features the reigning monarch on its obverse and, most often, Benedetto Pistrucci's depiction of Saint George and the Dragon on the reverse.
The Old Head coinage or Veiled Head coinage were British coins struck and dated between 1893 and 1901, which featured on the obverse a portrait by Thomas Brock of an aged Queen Victoria wearing a diadem partially hidden by a widow's veil. It replaced the Jubilee coinage, struck since 1887, which had been widely criticised both for the portrait of the Queen, and because the reverses of most of the coins did not state their monetary values. Some denominations continued with their old reverse designs, with Benedetto Pistrucci's design for the sovereign extended to the half sovereign. New designs for some of the silver coinage were inaugurated, created either by Brock or by Edward Poynter, and all denominations less than the crown, or five-shilling piece, stated their values.