Half sovereign (British coin)

1915 half sovereign: reverse

The half sovereign is an English and British gold coin with a face value half that of a sovereign: equivalent to half a pound sterling, ten shillings, or 120 old pence. Since the end of the gold standard, it has been issued only in limited quantities as a commemorative coin with a sale price and resale value far in excess of its face value.

History

The half sovereign was first introduced in 1544 under Henry VIII. After 1604, the issue of half sovereigns, along with gold sovereigns, was discontinued until 1817, following a major revision of British coinage. Production continued until 1926 and, apart from special issues for coronation years, was not restarted until 1980. It was also used extensively in Australia, until 1933.

Modern half sovereigns, from 1817 onwards, have a diameter of 19.30 mm, a thickness of ~1mm, a weight of 3.99 g, are made of 22 carat (91⅔ %) gold alloy, and contain 0.1176 troy ounces (3.6575 g) of gold. The reverse side, featuring St. George slaying a dragon was designed by Benedetto Pistrucci, whose initials appear to the right of the date.

In 1843, while performing a conjuring trick for the amusement of his children, Isambard Kingdom Brunel accidentally inhaled a half-sovereign coin, which became lodged in his windpipe. A special pair of forceps failed to remove it, as did a machine devised by Brunel himself to shake it loose. Brunel eventually coughed up the coin.

Mintages

1908	Number 1
1982	2,500,000
1983-99	limited edition proofs only
2000	146,822
2001	94,763
2002	61,347
2003	47,818
2004	34,924
2005	30,299

Counterfeiting

The half sovereign is a "protected coin" for the purposes of Part II of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.

External links

• British Coins - Free information about British coins. Includes an online forum.

Preceded by Unknown

Half Pound 1544–1926

Succeeded by Ten shilling note