The Royal Mint reinstituted the gold sovereign coinage in 1817 during the reign of King George III. The Great Recoinage of 1816 revamped British coinage and brought back the gold sovereigns originally issued in 1489 during the rule of King Henry VII. Right now, Great Britain Gold Half Sovereign Coins are available to purchase online at Silver.com.
Coin Highlights:
- Ships to you sealed in plastic flip!
- Issued by the Royal Mint from 1980 onward (no 1981) during Elizabeth II’s reign!
- Consists of .1176 Troy ounces of actual gold weight.
- The obverse features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
- On the reverse is the St. George design from Benedetto Pistrucci.
Each Great Britain Gold Half Sovereign Coin available online today comes from the Royal Mint as of 1980. The reign of Elizabeth II was devoid of the Half Sovereign for nearly 30 years as the modern Half Sovereigns were initially struck from 1817 to 1926. The Great Britain Gold Half Sovereign Coin reappeared in 1980 during Her Majesty’s reign. There is no 1981 issue of the Half Sovereign during Elizabeth II’s reign, and the vast majority are available in proof rather than bullion.
When the Gold Sovereigns were first introduced in 1489 by King Henry VII there was no Half Sovereign available. It would take more than 50 years for the Royal Mint to issue Half Sovereigns, with the first coming in 1544 during Henry VIII’s rule. The Half Sovereign was then available for 60 years until James I halted gold sovereigns altogether in 1604.
On the obverse of these Great Britain Gold Half Sovereign Coins of Elizabeth II, there are four possible designs. The coins from 1980 to 1984 feature Arnold Machin’s second-generation portrait of Elizabeth II as a young woman with no crown, only a wreath around her head. The 1985 to 1997 coins feature Raphael Maklouf’s third-generation portrait with the Queen wearing the royal diadem.
The obverse of Gold Half Sovereign coins features the fourth-generation depiction of Queen Elizabeth II from 1998 to 2015. This was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. All Great Britain Gold Half Sovereign Coins from 2016 onward include Queen Elizabeth II in a fifth-generation right-profile portrait. This was created in July 2015 by Jody Clark of the Royal Mint.
On the reverse of Great Britain Gold Half Sovereign Coins from Elizabeth II’s reign include the St. George design. Originally created in 1817 by Benedetto Pistrucci, this design features St. George riding on horseback as he rides down the dragon.
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