The half sovereign was first introduced in 1544 under Henry VIII. It was a gold coin valued at ten shillings. After 1604, the issue of half sovereigns along with 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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (701x701, 131 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Half Sovereign ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (701x701, 131 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Half Sovereign ... Events April 11 - Battle of Ceresole - French forces under the Comte dEnghien defeat Imperial forces under the Marques Del Vasto near Turin. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... The shilling (or informally: bob) was a British coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first shilling. ... Events January 14 – Hampton Court conference with James I of England, the Anglican bishops and representatives of Puritans September 20 – Capture of Ostend by Spanish forces under Ambrosio Spinola after a three year siege. ... A gold sovereign is a British gold coin, first issued in 1489 for Henry VII, generally with a value of one pound. ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article concerns British coinage, the coinage of the United Kingdom. ... 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...
Modern half sovereigns, from 1817 onwards, have a diameter of 19.30 mm, a weight of 3.99 g, are made of 22 carat (91.666%) gold alloy, and contain 0.1177 troy ounces (3.7 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. Meanings of Carat or Karat: Carat is a unit of mass for gems. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ... Saint George (c. ... Benedetto Pistrucci (1783-1855) was a talented engraver of gemstones, cameos, coins and medals. ...
The name "sovereign" related to the majestic and impressive size and portraiture of the coin, the earliest of which showed the king facing, seated on a throne, while the reverse shows the Royal coat of arms on a shield surrounded by a Tudor double rose.
From then until 1932, sovereigns were produced only at branch mints at Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Bombay, and Pretoria (except for some in 1925 produced in London as part of Winston Churchill's ill-fated attempt to return the UK to the gold standard).
Subsequent publication of treasury papers appear to indicate that sovereigns were widely used in pursuance of British foreign policy in the middle east, and it was felt that the coin could not be allowed to fall into disrepute—as many individuals were receiving payments in the form of sovereigns for services rendered to the British government.
The halfsovereign was first introduced in 1544 under Henry VIII.
After 1604, the issue of halfsovereigns, along with sovereigns, was discontinued until 1817 following a major revision of British coinage.
Modern halfsovereigns, from 1817 onwards, have a diameter of 19.30 mm, a weight of 3.99 g, are made of 22 carat (91.666%) gold alloy, and contain 0.1177 troy ounces (3.7 g) of gold.
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