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Half crown (British coin)

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Half crown
United Kingdom
Value£0.125
Two shillings and sixpence
Mass1816–1970: 14.14 g
Diameter1816–1970: 32.31 mm
EdgeMilled
Composition
Years of minting1707–1970
Obverse
DesignProfile of the monarch (Elizabeth II design shown)
DesignerMary Gillick
Design date1953
Reverse
DesignVarious (crowned Royal Shield shown)
DesignerEdgar Fuller and Cecil Thomas
Design date1967

The British half crown was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄8 of one pound, or two shillings and six pence (abbreviated "2/6", familiarly "two and six"), or 30 pre-decimal pence. The half crown was first issued in 1549, in the reign of Edward VI. No half crowns were issued in the reign of Mary, but from the reign of Elizabeth I half crowns were issued in every reign except that of Edward VIII, until the coins were discontinued in 1970.

The half crown was demonetised (ahead of other pre-decimal coins) on 1 January 1970, the year before the United Kingdom adopted decimal currency on Decimal Day. During the English Interregnum of 1649–1660, a republican half crown was issued, bearing the arms of the Commonwealth of England, despite monarchist associations of the coin's name. When Oliver Cromwell was made Lord Protector of England, half crowns were issued bearing his portrait depicting him wearing a laurel wreath in the manner of a Roman Emperor. The half crown did not display its value on the reverse until 1893. In the 20th century a slang term for the coin was "half-a-dollar".[1]

History of the half crown by reign

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Gold half crown of Elizabeth I, 1580/81
This Charles I half crown was struck from a piece of hammered silver plate during one of the Civil War sieges of Newark, Nottinghamshire.

Size and weight

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From 1816, in the reign of George III, half crown coins had a diameter of 32 mm and a weight of 14.14 grams (defined as 5⁄11 troy ounce[2]), dimensions which remained the same for the half crown until decimalisation in 1971.[3]

Mintages

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The mintage figures below are taken from the annual UK publication Coin Yearbook.[4]

Half-crown mintages 1887–1970
Monarch Obverse variant Year Mintages
General Proof
Victoria Jubilee 1887 1,438,046 1,084
1888 1,428,787
1889 4,811,954
1890 3,228,111
1891 2,284,632
1892 1,710,946
Old head 1893 1,792,600 1,312
1894 1,524,960
1895 1,772,662
1896 2,148,505
1897 1,678,643
1898 1,870,055
1899 2,865,872
1900 4,479,128
1901 1,516,570
Edward VII 1902 1,316,008 15,123
1903 274,840
1904 709,652
1905 166,008
1906 2,886,206
1907 3,693,930
1908 1,758,889
1909 3,051,592
1910 2,557,685
George V 1911 2,914,573 6,007
1912 4,700,789
1913 4,090,169
1914 18,333,003
1915 32,433,066
1916 29,530,020
1917 11,172,052
1918 29,079,592
1919 10,266,737
1920 17,982,077
1921 23,677,889
1922 16,396,724
1923 26,308,526
1924 5,866,294
1925 1,413,461
1926 4,473,516
1927 6,837,872 15,000
1928 18,762,727
1929 17,632,636
1930 809,051
1931 11,264,468
1932 4,793,643
1933 10,311,494
1934 2,422,399
1935 7,022,216
1936 7,039,423
George VI 1937 9,106,440 26,402
1938 6,426,478
1939 15,478,635
1940 17,948,439
1941 15,773,984
1942 31,220,090
1943 15,462,875
1944 15255165
1945 19,849,242
1946 22,724,873
1947 21,911,484
1948 71,164,703
1949 28,272,512
1950 28,335,500 17,513
1951 9,003,520 20,000
1952 1[5]
Elizabeth II 1953 4,333,214 40,000
1954 11,614,953
1955 23,628,726
1956 33,934,909
1957 34,200,563
1958 15,745,668
1959 9,028,844
1960 19,929,191
1961 25,887,897
1962 24,013,312
1963 17,625,200
1964 5,973,600
1965 9,778,440
1966 13,375,200
1967 33,058,400
1970 0 750,000
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  • Edward VI half-crown, 1552
    Edward VI half-crown, 1552
  • Gold half crown of James I
    Gold half crown of James I
  • Charles I half-crown
    Charles I half-crown
  • Half crown coin of Oliver Cromwell, 1658
    Half crown coin of Oliver Cromwell, 1658
  • Half crown of Charles II, 1680
    Half crown of Charles II, 1680
  • Half crown of James II, 1687
    Half crown of James II, 1687
  • Half crown of 1691: William III and Mary II
    Half crown of 1691: William III and Mary II
  • Half crown of William III, 1696
    Half crown of William III, 1696
  • Half crown of Queen Anne
    Half crown of Queen Anne
  • Half crown of George II, 1746
    Half crown of George II, 1746
  • Half crown of George III, 1816
    Half crown of George III, 1816
  • Half crown of George IV, 1821
    Half crown of George IV, 1821
  • Half crown of William IV, 1836
    Half crown of William IV, 1836
  • Half-crown of Victoria, 1885
    Half-crown of Victoria, 1885
  • Half-crown of Victoria, 1888
    Half-crown of Victoria, 1888
  • The reverse of the 1905, Edward VII, half crown
    The reverse of the 1905, Edward VII, half crown
  • George V half crown, 1930
    George V half crown, 1930
  • George VI half crown, 1948
    George VI half crown, 1948
  • The obverse of the 1953, Elizabeth II, half crown
    The obverse of the 1953, Elizabeth II, half crown
  • The reverse of the 1953, Elizabeth II, half crown
    The reverse of the 1953, Elizabeth II, half crown

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Half-a-dollar", Collins Dictionary. Retrieved 5 October 2022
  2. ^ Kindleberger, Charles P. (2005). A Financial History of Western Europe. Taylor & Francis. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-415-37867-3.
  3. ^ Tony Clayton. "Coins of the UK – Thirty Pence". coins-of-the-uk.co.uk.
  4. ^ "Coin, Banknote and Medal Collector's Magazines. Token Publishing Numismatic Interest". tokenpublishing.com.
  5. ^ "Welcome to Colin Cooke Coins – Numismatics, Coins, Rarities – 1952 Halfcrown". colincooke.com.
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