Halfcrown 1837, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

Halfcrown 1837, Coin from United Kingdom (demonetised 1970)
CoinHalfcrown 1837

The halfcrown (or half crown) was a denomination of the pre-decimal Pound Sterling coinage worth one-eighth of a pound, or two and a half shillings (a full crown being defined as five shillings), or 30 pence. In sums, it was abbreviated "2/6" (pronounced "two and six" - two shillings and six pence, a full shilling being twelve pence). The half crown was first issued in 1549 in the reign of King Edward VI.

This type of halfcrown coins was struck during the reign of King William IV. Its reverse design is by Jean Baptiste Merlen, who also designed the earlier halfcrowns issued for King George IV.

After the king's death in 1837, the design was replaced by Queen Victoria's halfcrown; the practice of the time was to re-design the coinage for a new monarch's reign.

The composition is Sterling Silver (0.925 silver) and the coins have 0.4205 oz ASW (ounces of Absolute Silver Weight). The half crown was demonetised (ahead of other pre-decimal coins) on 1 January 1970, the year before the United Kingdom adopted decimal currency.

MintRoyal Mint Mint MarkNo mint mark Total Mintage 150,526
Visit the Royal Mint web site for the latest coin releases Visit the Royal Mint web site for the latest coin releases
(affiliate ad)
Obverse
United Kingdom / Halfcrown 1837 - obverse photo

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.
Obverse Inscription GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Reverse
United Kingdom / Halfcrown 1837 - reverse photo

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 1837 ("anno" means "year" in Latin).
Reverse Inscription ANNO 1837
EdgeMilledEdge InscriptionNone
Halfcrown 1837: References to Information Used
SourceEditionAboutLinkNotes
Museums Victoria Collections 2016 Coin description link
Remick, Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins 1971 Mint
Remick, Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins 1971 Mintage
Showing 100 from a total of 132 coins of type: Halfcrown
Coin NameMintageEffigyLegend
Halfcrown 1816 unknown King George III - Large Bull Head GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA 1816
Halfcrown 1817 Large Head 8,092,656 King George III - Large Bull Head GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA 1817
Halfcrown 1817 Small Head 8,092,656 King George III - Small Head GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA 1817
Halfcrown 1818 2,905,056 King George III - Small Head GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA 1818
Halfcrown 1819 4,790,016 King George III - Small Head GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA 1819
Halfcrown 1820 King George III 2,396,592 King George III - Small Head GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA 1820
Halfcrown 1820 King George IV 2,396,592 King George IV - Laureate Head GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1821 1,435,104 King George IV - Laureate Head GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1823 First Issue 2,003,760 King George IV - Laureate Head GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1823 Second Issue 2,003,760 King George IV - Laureate Head GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1824 Second Issue 465,696 King George IV - Laureate Head GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1824 Third Issue (Proof only) unknown Portrait by Jean Baptiste Merlen GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA · 1824 ·
Halfcrown 1825 2,258,784 Portrait by Jean Baptiste Merlen GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA · 1825 ·
Halfcrown 1826 2,189,088 Portrait by Jean Baptiste Merlen GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA · 1826 ·
Halfcrown 1828 49,890 Portrait by Jean Baptiste Merlen GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA · 1828 ·
Halfcrown 1829 508,464 Portrait by Jean Baptiste Merlen GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA · 1829 ·
Halfcrown 1831 (Proof only) unknown King William IV - Bare Head GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1834 993,168 King William IV - Bare Head GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1835 281,952 King William IV - Bare Head GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1836 1,588,752 King William IV - Bare Head GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1837 150,526 King William IV - Bare Head GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
Halfcrown 1839 unknown Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1839
Halfcrown 1840 386,496 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1840
Halfcrown 1841 42,768 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1841
Halfcrown 1842 486,288 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1842
Halfcrown 1843 454,608 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1843
Halfcrown 1844 1,999,008 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1844
Halfcrown 1845 2,231,856 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1845
Halfcrown 1846 1,907,136 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1846
Halfcrown 1848 367,488 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1848
Halfcrown 1849 261,360 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1849
Halfcrown 1850 483,120 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1850
Halfcrown 1853 (Proof only) unknown Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1853
Halfcrown 1862 (Proof only) unknown Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1862
Halfcrown 1864 (Proof only) unknown Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1864
Halfcrown 1874 2,188,599 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1874
Halfcrown 1875 1,113,843 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1875
Halfcrown 1876 633,221 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1876
Halfcrown 1877 447,059 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1877
Halfcrown 1878 1,466,323 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1878
Halfcrown 1879 901,356 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1879
Halfcrown 1880 1,346,350 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1880
Halfcrown 1881 2,301,495 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1881
Halfcrown 1882 808,227 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1882
Halfcrown 1883 2,982,779 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1883
Halfcrown 1884 1,569,175 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1884
Halfcrown 1885 1,628,438 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1885
Halfcrown 1886 891,767 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1886
Halfcrown 1887 Young Head 1,438,046 Queen Victoria - Young Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1887
Halfcrown 1887 Jubilee Head 1,438,046 Queen Victoria - Jubilee Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Halfcrown 1888 1,428,787 Queen Victoria - Jubilee Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Halfcrown 1889 4,811,954 Queen Victoria - Jubilee Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Halfcrown 1890 3,228,111 Queen Victoria - Jubilee Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Halfcrown 1891 2,284,632 Queen Victoria - Jubilee Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Halfcrown 1892 1,710,946 Queen Victoria - Jubilee Head VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Halfcrown 1893 1,793,912 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1894 1,524,960 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1895 1,772,662 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1896 2,148,505 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1897 1,678,643 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1898 1,870,055 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1899 2,863,872 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1900 4,479,128 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1901 1,576,570 Queen Victoria - Veiled Head VICTORIA · DEI GRA · BRITT · REG ·
Halfcrown 1902 1,331,131 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1903 274,840 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1904 709,652 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1905 166,000 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1906 2,886,206 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1907 3,693,930 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1908 1,758,889 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1909 3,051,592 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1910 2,557,685 King Edward VII - Bare Head EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1911 2,920,580 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1912 4,700,789 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1913 4,090,169 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1914 18,333,003 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1915 32,433,066 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1916 29,530,020 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1917 11,172,052 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1918 29,079,592 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1919 10,266,737 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1920 17,983,077 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1921 23,677,889 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1922 16,396,774 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1923 26,308,526 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1924 5,866,294 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1925 1,413,461 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1926 4,473,516 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1927 Old Design 6,852,872 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1927 New Design 15,000 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1928 18,762,727 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1929 17,632,636 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1930 809,501 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1931 11,264,468 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1932 4,793,643 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1933 10,311,494 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1934 2,422,399 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1935 7,022,216 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Halfcrown 1936 7,039,423 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX
Showing 1 to 100 of 132 Coins.
Advertising
London Mint Office coins.
London Mint Office coins.
My Collection
Please sign up and/or log in.
You will then be able to manage your collection and record whether you have or want this coin.
Halfcrown 1837: Details
CountryUnited Kingdom
CurrencyPound Sterling (pre-decimal)
Coin TypeHalfcrown King William IV
Issued1837
MonarchKing William IV
EffigyKing William IV - Portrait by William Wyon
ReverseRoyal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, Hanoverian
Face Value2 1/2 (x Shilling)
Total Mintage150,526
CurrentNo; demonetised 1970
Material0.925 Silver
DesignerJean Baptiste Merlen
TechnologyMilled (machine-made)
ShapeRound
OrientationCoin Alignment (Axis 6)
Size32.0000 mm
Mass14.1380 g
OCC IDDBYN-KODD-CJYK-OPQM
Search Similar Coins to Buy (Affiliate Ad)
Search eBay for this coinSearch for United Kingdom: Halfcrown 1837 on eBay
Advertising
Buy Silver Bullion Online
Buy Silver Bullion Online
Share or Bookmark this Page
Halfcrown 1837: Photos
ImageDetails
Halfcrown 1837: Photo Coin - Halfcrown, William IV, Great Britain, 1837 / thumbnail Coin - Halfcrown, William IV, Great Britain, 1837
Copyright: Museums Victoria / CC BY
Author:
Source
Halfcrown 1837: Photo Coin - Halfcrown, William IV, Great Britain, 1837 / thumbnail Coin - Halfcrown, William IV, Great Britain, 1837
Copyright: Museums Victoria / CC BY
Author:
Source
Halfcrown 1837: Photo 1837 Half-crown, William IV / thumbnail 1837 Half-crown, William IV
Copyright: JNCoins
Source
Halfcrown 1837: Photo 1837 Half-crown, William IV / thumbnail 1837 Half-crown, William IV
Copyright: JNCoins
Source
Halfcrown 1837: Catalogue Reference IDs
SourceReference ID
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom3834
Krause, Standard Catalog of World CoinsGreat Britain KM# 714.2
Relevant Links
Museums Victoria: Coin - Halfcrown, William IV, Great Britain, 1837