Halfcrown King William IV, Coin Type from United Kingdom - detailed information

Within a beaded border, the obverse of the coin shows the bare (uncrowned) head of King William IV facing right (his effigy by William Wyon). Incuse on the neck truncation are the artist's initials, WW.

Around, the monarch's legend: GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:, abbreviated from GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA BRITANNIARUM REX FIDEI DEFENSOR. Translated from Latin: William the Fourth, by the Grace of God, King of the Britains, Defender of the Faith.

The reverse of the coin shows the mantled (surrounded by drapery) shield bearing the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three passant guardant lions of England; in the second, the rampant lion and double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland; and in the third, a harp for Ireland. At centre, an escutcheon of the arms of the Kingdom of Hanover, of which King William IV was King as Wilhelm IV.; its shield is crowned with the Crown of Charlemagne.

The shield is surmounted by St Edward's Crown, named after Saint Edward the Confessor, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It has been traditionally used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th century, with a two-century gap between 1689 and 1911 so King William IV was not himself crowned with it.

Below the shield is visible part of the chain, and the pendant (depicting St George slaying the dragon) of The Order of the Garter.

Around below, the date of issue ANNO [year] ("anno" means "year" in Latin).