How to Identify the Cartwheel Penny

Start with the single most diagnostic feature: the lettering. On a genuine cartwheel the legends and date are incuse — pressed down into a wide, flat raised rim — rather than standing up in relief. Run a fingertip across the border and you should feel the letters as grooves. No other British penny is made this way, so this trait alone separates the type from almost everything else.

Read the inscriptions and devices. The obverse shows a right-facing draped bust of George III with GEORGIVS III D G REX around the rim. The reverse shows Britannia seated to the left, holding an olive branch and trident with a shield beside her, the word BRITANNIA above and the date 1797 below. On the penny the small word SOHO appears near the shield, identifying Boulton's mint; its absence or a different design is a warning sign.

Check size, weight and metal, because these confirm the denomination. The penny is a large copper coin about 36 mm across weighing roughly an ounce; the companion twopence is larger, near 41 mm and about two ounces. If a coin has the cartwheel look but is small or light, it is not a genuine regal cartwheel. The metal should be copper, showing a brown tone on circulated pieces.

Watch for look-alikes and altered pieces. The 1790s produced many private copper tokens and later commemorative or replica cartwheels; tokens carry different legends or advertising, and modern copies are often struck in the wrong size or weight or have crisp raised lettering. Cast fakes betray themselves with a soft, grainy surface, a visible seam on the edge, or bubbles in the field.

Grade cautiously. Because the raised rim takes the most wear, the incuse letters are usually the first detail to fade, while Britannia and the bust survive longer; judge condition from the central devices as well as the rim. Avoid coins that have been cleaned to a bright pink or that show heavy verdigris, as both reduce value and can hide problems.