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"The Gold Half Sovereign" by Marsh says: "Though William IV succeeded his brother on the throne on 26th June 1830 no currency gold coins were issued for that year. An Order in Council, dated 22nd November 1830, did however specify that a double sovereign, sovereign and half sovereign be struck in gold. These became current by proclamation on 13th April 1831, although the double sovereign was not issued. The obverse was engraved by William Wyon from a superb bust of King William IV by Sir Francis L. Chantrey. The reverse features a magnificently garnished shield modelled and engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen. The overall design differs slightly from that of the sovereign, the main difference being seen in the diminishing panels that appear in the lower garnishment on either side of the shield of both coins. On the half sovereign these panels are filled with diagonal lines giving a shaded appearance, whereas on the sovereign small round pellets are shown in this area." | ||||||||||||
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Family-run store trading in rare coins and bullion, plus jewellery design and sales |
Variety | Sixpence mule | |
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Mintage | Issued: unknown (included in total). Rarity: R5 (9 to 14 examples known) | |
Details | Obverse struck from a sixpence die (19.4 mm) in error. |
Source | Edition | About | Link | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marsh, The Gold Half Sovereign | 1982 | Coin description | ||
Remick, Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins | 1971 | Mint | ||
Remick, Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins | 1971 | Mintage | ||
Marsh, The Gold Half Sovereign | 1982 | Varieties | Sixpence mule | |
Marsh, The Gold Half Sovereign | 1982 | Design |
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Royal Mint |
Country | United Kingdom |
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Currency | Pound Sterling (pre-decimal) |
Coin Type | Half Sovereign (Pre-decimal, Shield) |
Issued | 1836 |
Monarch | King William IV |
Effigy | King William IV - Portrait by William Wyon |
Face Value | 1/2 (x Pound) |
Total Mintage | 146,865, Rarity: R2 (Very Rare) |
Current | No; demonetised 1971 |
Material | 0.9167 Gold |
Designer | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
Technology | Milled (machine-made) |
Shape | Round |
Size | 19.3000 mm |
Thickness | 0.9900 mm |
Mass | 3.9940 g |
OCC ID | WLGV-BOLD-CXXY-OMPX |
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Handbook of United States Coins 2025 |
Source | Reference ID |
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Marsh, The Gold Half Sovereign | 412, 412A (Sixpence mule) |
Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World | Great Britain 242 |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# 722 |
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | 3831, 3832 (Sixpence mule) |