Set Description
GT.BRITAIN, GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGN 1817-2017 (GEORGE III - ELIZABETH II), COMPLETE CIRCULATION ISSUES.
2017: The 200th anniversary of the "modern" gold sovereign and the "modern" gold half-sovereign.
The GOLD SOVEREIGN is one of Britain's famous coins and is highly collectable in its own right. A coin full of history and emotional attachment which has become an icon of Britain itself.
The Sovereign is known all over the world for its famous St George and the dragon design by esteemed engraver Benedetto Pistrucci.
Synonymous with wealth and reliability the sovereign has played an important part in the nation's, and the world's history. The sovereign flourished alongside Britain's growing empire to become a coin of international status. Its fineness and accuracy is amongst the highest standards of any coins throughout the world and is held in high regard for the reliability of its 22 carat gold, its weight and quality carefully maintained by The Royal Mint.
Highly prized for its numismatic value, the sovereign is the favourite of coin collectors the world over.
BRIEF HISTORY
On 28 October 1489 King Henry VII of England gave authority for the production of a new gold coin of one pound or twenty shillings in value,15.55 grams (240 grains) in weight and made from the traditional fine-gold standard established under Edward III. This coin became known as a " SOVEREIGN " because the obverse design depicted the King enthroned in regal splendor. It was the largest coin yet issued in England and also the most beautiful.
The ORIGINAL GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGN, a coin of half-pound or ten shillings in value and 96 grains in weight, was introduced a few years after the gold sovereign, during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-1547). This was in the year 1544, nearly 300 years before the modern coinage period. The original design was basically a smaller version of the full sovereign. The obverse features the crowned King facing and seated in his chair of state holding his sceptre and orb, and with a large rose at his feet. The legend reads HENRIC 8 GRA AGL FRANCIE HIBER REX. The reverse displays a royal shield quartered and containing the arms of France and England, and this is supported on either side by a lion and a dragon. The letters HR are placed at the bottom. The legend reads IHS AUTEM TRANSIES PERIM EDIUM ILLORUM IBAT. The mint mark Lis appears within the legend centrally placed at the top on both obverse and reverse of the coin.
The gold half-sovereign continued to be issued in similar form for the reign of Edward VI (1547-1553), the young boy who succeeded his father at only nine years of age. In his short reign of just over six years four distinct series of gold coins were produced and all but one of these carried the bust and name of his father Henry VIII. It is interesting to note that the exception was the gold half-sovereign, and this features the much more youthful head of Edward himself.
The gold half-sovereign was next struck in the reign of James I (1603-1625) during his first coinage up to and including 1604 and then discontinued.
With the introduction of regular machine made "milled" coinage under Charles II (1660-1685) the half guinea was introduced, with a value originally of ten shillings, but later of ten shillings and sixpence. So the gold half-sovereign would not appear again until the reign of George III (1760-1820).
In 1816 there was a major change in British coinage powered by the industrial revolution. The Royal Mint moved from the Tower of London to new premises on nearby Tower Hill and acquired powerful new steam-powered coining presses designed by Mathew Boulton and James Watt. In 1817 the "modern" sovereign and half-sovereign were born.
The "modern" SOVEREIGN, smaller and featuring on the reverse the classic St. George and the dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci and the "modern" HALF-SOVEREIGN featuring the Royal Arms were introduced in 1817, during the reign of King George III (1760-1820), taking the form in which we know them today.
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE "MODERN" GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGN
DIAMETER: 19.3-19.4mm
WEIGHT: 3.994g
ALLOY: Gold.
FINENESS: 22 Carat.
MILLESIMAL FINENESS: 0.916
EDGE: Milled.
Currency gold half-sovereigns continued to be issued by the Royal Mint in London for the reigns of King George IV (1821-1830), King William IV (1831-1837), Queen Victoria (1838-1901), King Edward VII (1902-1910), and King George V (1911-1915). Proof versions of HALF-SOVEREIGNS were also issued in every reign since 1817.
In 1914 mintage of gold still continued to be high even though World War I commenced during this year. Following the outbreak the Government issued Treasury banknotes to the value of Sovereigns and Half-Sovereigns, which were convertible to gold on demand at the Bank of England. However the public were encouraged not to do this, as the gold was no doubt needed elsewhere for purchases of vital supplies from overseas. Within a few years, sovereigns and half sovereigns ceased to be used in everyday transactions.
Production of half sovereigns at the Royal Mint stopped in 1915, and also at the Melbourne mint.
The other branch mints continued to produce half sovereigns, Sydney Australia until 1916, Perth Australia until 1920, and Pretoria South Africa until 1926.
No further half sovereigns were then issued for circulation until 1982, although half sovereigns were included in the George VI proof set of 1937 which was available for collectors, and half sovereigns were also minted but not issued for Edward VIII in 1937, and for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
In 1980 and 1982, a proof version was issued, and this continues to the present.
In 1989, a special 500th anniversary commemorative design was struck in proof, inspired by the very first gold sovereign of 1489, showing H.M. Queen Elizabeth II seated facing on a throne.
The year 2000 was of particular interest to half-sovereign enthusiasts, because for the first time since 1982 the Royal Mint issued a bullion type half-sovereign which continued to be struck yearly ever since.
Currency Half-sovereigns were not issued by the Royal Mint on the following dates: 1822, 1829-1833, 1839-1840, 1854, 1868, 1881-1882, 1886, 1888-1889, 1916-1981, 1983-1999.
The half sovereign is a "protected coin" for the purposes of Part II of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.
THE REIGNS
The Reign of KING GEORGE III (1760-1820) House of Hanover.
Born: 4 June 1738.
Accession: 25 October 1760.
Married: Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 8 September 1761 the day they met for the first time.
Coronation: Tuesday, 22 September 1761.
Children: nine sons, six daughters.
Died: 29 January 1820, aged 81.
KING GEORGE III, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1817-1820.
On 25 October 1760 King George II died and his grandson succeeded to the throne as George III. It was during this reign that the introduction of the new modern coinage began.
Currency half-sovereigns during this reign were only issued for the years 1817,1818 and 1820, none being issued for 1819. These half-sovereigns featured on the obverse the King's head facing right and the date at the bottom of the coin; on the reverse an angular shield surmounted by the royal crown, bearing the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom.
A good example of the first two dates should not prove too difficult for the collector to obtain, however, the half-sovereign for 1820 (R2 M.Marsh) will not be easy to acquire especially in high grade, and this is without doubt because a low mintage of only 35,043 of this date were struck. The 1818/7 variety (401A M.Marsh) must be exceedingly rare, as not a single example appeared for many years.
The Reign of KING GEORGE IV (1820-1830) House of Hanover.
Born: 12 August 1762.
Accession: 29 January. 1820
Married: Caroline of Brunswick 8 April 1795 later separated and banned from attending the Coronation.
Coronation: Thursday, 19 July 1821.
Child: one daughter Charlotte who predeceased her Father 6 November 1817.
Died: 26 June 1830, aged 67.
KING GEORGE IV, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1821-1828.
King George IV (1763-1830) succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father George III on 29 January 1820. Three types of half-sovereigns were issued during his reign.
The first half-sovereign "Type 1" was issued by the Royal Mint only for the year 1821 and it was a splendid example of both engraving and design by Pistrucci. It carried a magnificent laureate head bust of the King, and its reverse featured the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom garnished and surmounted by a large crown. The half-sovereign for 1821 (R5 M.Marsh) is an elusive coin, very difficult to obtain, especially in high grade.
The half-sovereign "Type 2" was next issued in 1823 (R2 M.Marsh) with the same obverse as in 1821, but with a plain square shield surmounted by a crown on the reverse. This second issue was further struck for the years 1824 and 1825.
The "Type 3" half-sovereign featured the bust of the King bare headed on the obverse. The reverse carried a beautifully garnished shield surmounted by the royal crown. "Type 3" half-sovereigns were first issued bearing the date 1826 and were also struck for 1827 and 1828.
In general half-sovereigns have become a great deal more difficult to find these days, and without doubt those of George IV are very hard for the collector to acquire.
The Reign of KING WILLIAM IV (1830-1837) House of Hanover.
Born: 21 August 1765.
Accession: 26 June 1830.
Married: Adelaide of Saxe-Coburg and Meiningen, 11 July 1818 after first meeting a week before, a double wedding with his brother, Prince Edward the Duke of Kent.
Coronation: Thursday, 8 September 1831.
Children: two daughters who both died in childhood, ten illegitimate children previously.
Died: 20 June 1837.
KING WILLIAM IV, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1834-1837.
King William IV (1765-1837) succeeded to the throne upon the death of his elder brother in June 1830. No currency gold coins were issued for that year. Although proofs were issued of both the sovereign and half-sovereign bearing the date of 1831, and also a currency sovereign for the same year, the half-sovereign was not issued as a currency piece for this reign until 1834. The 1834 half sovereign had a diameter of only 17.9mm. This was considerably smaller than any other half-sovereign previously struck during the modern era, and they in fact measured 19.4mm; it was though the same weight and fineness as previous issues. Four more currency issues of half-sovereigns (1835, 1836, 1837) were made during this short reign, two of these bear the same date of 1836.
All these half-sovereigns featured on the obverse the bare head of the King facing right, engraved by William Wyon(1795-1851), and on the reverse a garnished shield modelled and engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen (1769-1850).
The half-sovereigns of William IV very seldom appear. 1834 (R2 M.Marsh), 1835 (S M.Marsh), 1836 (R2 M.Marsh), 1837 (R M.Marsh). However, the key coin of this small group is the 1836 half-sovereign with its obverse struck from a sixpence die (R5 M.Marsh).
The Reign of QUEEN VICTORIA (1837-1901) House of Hanover.
Born: 24 May 1819.
Accession: 20 June 1837.
Married: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 10 February 1840.
Coronation: Thursday 28 June 1838.
Children: four sons, five daughters.
Died: 22 January 1901, aged 81.
QUEEN VICTORIA, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1838-1901.
Queen Victoria (1819-1901), began her reign upon the death of her uncle on 20 June 1837. Many fine types and varieties of gold coinage were produced during Victoria's reign. Regarding the half-sovereign, three main types or designs were recognized during the period 1838-1901: The "Young Head", the "Jubilee Head" and the "Old Head" (Veiled Head).
The first gold currency half-sovereign for this reign was issued in 1838, bearing the " Young Head " design on the obverse and the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom within a garnished shield surmounted by a crown on the reverse. Several types and varieties were issued with this design until 1885. From 1863 until 1880 inclusive the Royal Mint in London individually numbered the shield type reverse dies used to strike the currency half-sovereigns as a means of " quality control " in assessing the efficiency of use of the dies, and in tracing any weakness in the production process. Some of the dates in this period number over 100 individual dies alone. All these "Young Head" half-sovereigns are difficult to find in Mint state, especially the earliest dates.
The year of 1887 brought about the fiftieth anniversary of the Queen's accession and it was marked by the introduction of a special Jubilee coinage. The new bust of the Queen by J.E.Boehm replaced the Wyon effigy currently being used. The "Golden Jubilee" gold half-sovereign was struck in 1887, bearing on the obverse the bust of the Queen facing left, wearing a small crown, veiled and with ribbon and star. The reverse once more displays the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom within a garnished shield and surmounted by a royal crown. Four more currency issues of half-sovereigns (1890, 1891, 1892, 1893) were struck with the same " Jubilee Head " design, but no coins of this kind were struck for the years of 1888 or 1889. Mintage figures relating to the Royal Mint Jubilee gold half-sovereigns are very high as one would expect, and they do in fact reveal that well over twenty two million were struck for the period of issue.
In 1893 the final design of coinage known as the " Old Head " or " Veiled Head " type was introduced. This type featured on the obverse the bust of the Queen facing left, veiled and draped, and on the reverse the design of St. George mounted with streamer flowing from helmet, slaying the Dragon with sword. Nine issues of gold half-sovereigns were struck by the Royal Mint with this design (1893-1901).
The Reign of KING EDWARD VII (1901-1910) House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Born: 9 November 1841.
Accession: 22 January 1901.
Married: Alexandra of Denmark 10 March 1863.
Coronation: Saturday, 9 August 1902.
Children: three sons, three daughters.
Died: 6 May 1910, aged 68.
KING EDWARD VII, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1902-1910.
King Edward VII (1841-1910) began his reign upon the death of Queen Victoria in January 1901, but no new coinage was struck during that year.
The first half-sovereign for Edward VII was struck in 1902, featuring the bust of the monarch on the obverse, and on the reverse the design of Saint George slaying the Dragon.
The Royal Mint continued to issue currency half-sovereigns during Edward's reign yearly until 1910.
Half-sovereigns for this reign were also struck at the Australian branch mints of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
The Reign of KING GEORGE V (1910-1936) House of Windsor.
Born: 3 June 1865.
Accession: 6 May 1910.
Married: Mary of Teck, 6 July 1893.
Coronation: Thursday, 22 June 1911, second Coronation as Emperor of India at the Delhi Durbar, Tuesday, 12 December 1911.
Children: five sons, one daughter.
Died: 20 January 1936, aged 70.
KING GEORGE V, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1911-1915.
King George V (1865-1936) succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father King Edward VII in May 1910. Several million gold coins were struck during his reign but few would be used for currency. The main reason for this was the Great War of 1914-1918, and the outbreak of this in August 1914 quickly saw the Government issue Treasury notes for one pound and ten shillings. The public were urged not to use gold and by 1915 gold had all but dissappeared from circulation in London. The Royal Mint struck currency half-sovereigns during George V reign for the years 1911 to 1915, all featuring on the obverse the bust of the King facing left and on the reverse the design of St.George slaying the Dragon.
Half-sovereigns continued to be issued for King George V reign and after 1915 by the Australian branch mints of Melbourne (1915), Perth (1911,1915,1918), Sydney (1911,1912,1914,1915,1916) and at the branch mint of Pretoria in South Africa (1925,1926).
The Reign of KING GEORGE VI (1936-1952) House of Windsor.
Born: 14 December 1895.
Accession: 11 December 1936. Married: Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, 26 April 1923.
Coronation: Wednesday, 12 May 1937.
Children: two daughters.
Died: 6 February 1952, aged 56.
KING GEORGE VI (1937-1952)
During this reign only proof half-sovereigns were struck by the Royal Mint as part of the four coin Coronation Proof Set (Mintage:5001).
The Reign of QUEEN ELIZABETH II (1952- ) House of Windsor.
Born: 21 April 1926.
Accession: 6 February 1952.
Married: Philip of Greece and Denmark, 20 November 1947.
Coronation: Tuesday, 2 June 1953.
Children: three sons, one daughter.
Golden Jubilee Year 2002.
Diamond Jubilee Year 2012.
Sapphire Jubilee Year 2017.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1982-DATE.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926 and succeeded her father George VI after his death in 1952. She enjoys the longest reign of any monarch so far. Many fine types and varieties of gold coinage were issued during her reign and three different types of currency half-sovereigns were issued.
The first was issued only for the year 1982 as a bullion coin featuring on the obverse the young head of the Queen facing right and on the reverse the design of St.George slaying the Dragon.
The second type was struck in the year 2000 when the Royal Mint re-issued a bullion type gold half-sovereign and continued the issue yearly ever since. This second type carries the Rank-Broadley bust of the Queen and the reverse Pistrucci's St.George slaying the Dragon. In 2005 a special reverse issue was struck with a depiction of St.George, carrying a shield and a sword, slaying the dragon (Design by Timothy Noad).
The third type was introduced in 2015 and carries the Jody Clark bust of the Queen on the obverse and again the Pistrucci's St.George slaying the Dragon on the reverse.
During her reign four Anniversary issues were struck: The 2002 "Golden Jubilee", the 2012 "Diamond Jubilee", the "Sapphire Jubilee" and the 2017 "200th anniversary of the modern gold sovereign and half-sovereign". Also, to mark the exact date of this historic coinage anniversary, a sovereign issue on the Day Sovereign minted by the Royal Mint on 1July 2017, exactly 200 years from the proclamation that revived The Sovereign in 1817. This edition, finished to Brilliant Uncirculated standard, is the only coin in the range featuring the garter reverse with a plain, not milled, edge. These coins have a Maximum Coin Mintage of 1,817, representing the date of proclamation.
In 2017 The Queen reached an unprecedented milestone of 65 years as Britain’s monarch, becoming the first and only British King or Queen to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee.
REFERENCES:
THE GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGN, 2nd Edition 2004, by MICHAEL A. MARSH.
A HISTORY OF THE SOVEREIGN, by Kevin Clancy. A Royal Mint Museum publication. 2nd Edition 2017.
THE SOVEREIGN, The world's most famous coin, by Daniel Fearon, 2001.
COINS OF ENGLAND & THE UNITED KINGDOM, 52nd Edition 2017, by SPINK.
THE COIN YEAR BOOK 2012, Edited by John W. Mussell.
Nine years since I started building up this interesting collection of these beautiful and historical coins. Nine years full of excitement and fun, buying always the best that could be afforded. The goal from the beginning was to obtain high-grade examples for every year since their first strike in 1817. As the quality of the individual coins determines the strength and value of a collection, constant emphasis was given on quality and condition rarity. For some rarer and scarcer pieces though, I had to compromise condition in order to fill up the empty slot, hoping to upgrade as opportunity permits. However there are a few ultra rarities in these series: 1818/7 (R5), 1836 (R6), 1845 (R4), 1862 (R6), 1879 (R4); not a single example of these appeared in a decent condition for many years!
It is true that in general, half-sovereigns, especially those of the 19th Century, have become a great deal more difficult to find in uncirculated condition, even more difficult than finding uncirculated gold sovereigns, but I must continue to hunt, to recognize opportunities and be prepared to strike when a piece comes up in order to fill up the empty slots with high grade coins or upgrade certain dates. "There is no substitution for quality".
Although the collection is still a work in progress, contains examples from all the Reigns. Many of the coins in this set are Top Pop or the single finest graded with quite a few condition rarities. Definitely the crown jewel of this collection is the 1844 MS66, for its pedigree, its quality and condition rarity. Highlights of condition rarities among other scarce coins are: 1820 MS64+, 1823 MS65, 1847 MS64, 1849 MS65, 1852 MS65 and 1872 MS64, all of them single finest graded.
Actually the year 2017 is more exciting because is the 200th anniversary of the "modern" sovereign and the "modern" half-sovereign which were first issued in 1817. During this year I managed to fill up some empty slots with new entries and make a few upgrades, so the collection reached an 81% completion, with 87 coins ( October 2017 ).
RECENT ACQUISITIONS - ENTRIES
1844 MS66, 1849 MS65 ( January 2017 ).
2005 MS66, 2006 MS69, 2007 MS66, 2008 MS66, 2009 MS69 ( May 2017 ).
1865 AU58, 1874 AU55, 1880 Die Number AU58, 2016 MS69, 2017 MS65 ( Self-submitted, June 2017 ).
1820 MS64+ (Crossed over from PCGS), 1859 UNC Details ( Self- submitted, June 2017 ).
1853 MS63+ ( NCS submission and conservation, July 2017 ).
1860 MS63 ( September 2017 ).
2010 MS64 DPL, 2011 MS65 DPL, 2012 MS69 DPL ( Self-submitted, October 2017 ).
RECENT UPGRADES:
1885 MS63-MS64, 1884 MS62-MS63, ( March 2017 ).
1828 MS61-MS64, ( April 2017 ).
1861 AU58-MS62, 1870 AU50-AU58, 1896 AU58-MS62, ( May 2017 ).
1837 AU55-MS61, 1885/3 AU53-AU55, ( June 2017 ).
1880 No Die Number AU55-AU58 ( July 2017 ).
1902 MS64-MS65 ( September 2017 ).
