Half sovereign
United Kingdom · gold · 1817-today
Overview
The half sovereign is half of the British sovereign, struck like it since 1817 and still issued by the Royal Mint. It takes up the same types: the monarch's effigy on the obverse, Pistrucci's Saint George and the dragon on the reverse, sometimes replaced in the nineteenth century by a crowned shield. The alloy is the same, 916.67 ‰ (22 carat): the coin weighs 3.994 g and contains 3.661 g of fine gold, with a diameter of 19.3 mm. Small and light, it saw much everyday circulation, so that older pieces often show softened reliefs and a weight slightly below the theoretical one; weighing to the centigram and reading the date and the mint letter place each coin. Like the sovereign, it trades by its fine gold weight. At Gold & Silver Company in Dottignies, every half sovereign is weighed and appraised in front of the person; the assay in the agency is what counts.
Characteristics
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Metal | gold |
| Gross weight | 3.994 g |
| Fineness | 916.67 ‰ |
| Fine metal | 3.661 g |
| Diameter | 19.3 mm |
| Years of issue | 1817-today |
How to check it
Indicative check: weigh the coin to the centigram and measure its diameter with callipers; a deviation of more than 0.1 g or 0.2 mm from the reference values warrants an examination in the agency. The assay in the agency is what counts.
At Gold & Silver Company
Every coin is weighed and appraised in front of the person, at the agency in Dottignies (Mouscron); the price is set at the rate of the moment of the transaction and is never published in advance.
Welcome policy: for gold, Gold & Silver Company receives by appointment from one kilogram; below that, no appointment is needed during opening hours; for silver, no appointment is needed whatever the quantity.
Related terms
Further reading
Sources
Characteristics checked against the reference numismatic catalogues and the issuers' official specifications (September 2026). The appraisal in the agency is what counts.