1691 Half Crown – William and Mary


The 1691 Half Crown - William and Mary

The Reverse is the second reverse showing a crowned cruciform shields design with the monogrammed initials of WM in the angles.

It's interesting to note the legend: REX ET REGINA MAG BR FR ET HI  which states King and Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland.

The edge is inscribed with the regnal year in Latin. This coin has TERTIO meaning for the third time i.e. it was the third year of the reign of William and Mary.

The Obverse shows the second portrait of William and Mary. On the coin they use their latin names of Gulielmus et Maria together with a phrase 'Dei gratia' meaning By the Grace of God.


Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1691 ?
The dual Monarchs are William III and Mary II. Pope Innocent XII succeeds Alexander VIII. A new royal charter for Massachusetts, now including Maine and Plymouth. Thomas Neale (who was then Master of the Mint) is granted an English patent for the American postal service.
William and Mary (1689-1694)
William and Mary ruled jointly as King and Queen. Their actual titles are King William III and Queen Mary II of England.

William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth. He was born in Binnenhof, South Holland, Netherlands.

Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was born at St James's Palace, London and was the eldest daughter of the Duke of York (the future King James II & VII), and his first wife, Anne Hyde.

Mary co-reigned with her husband, King William III, from 1689 until her death (When William continued as sole ruler).

The regnal years for William and Mary coins were:
1691:TERTIO; 1692:QVARTO; 1693:QVINTO (one extant); 1694:SEXTO.

On coins, their latin names of Gulielmus et Maria are usually used.
Category: Half-Crowns
The half crown was a British coin which was valued at "2/6" (two shilling and sixpence) – 12½ pence in modern currency. It was literally half the value of the Crown.

Half crowns were first issued around 1549 in gold or silver. It was then issued by the majority of Monarchs (plus Oliver Cromwell) all the way through to Elizabeth II. The last standard mintage was in 1967 and the coin was officially demonetised in 1970, one year before full decimalisation. A proof half crown was released in 1970.

The halfcrown was a large coin, from 1816 to it’s final minting having a diameter of 32mm and weight of 14.1g. In pre-decimalised Britain when the Crown was essentially a commemorative coin, the half crown was the largest denomination coin in circulation and had considerable spending power.

Before 1920, half crowns were actual sterling (92.5%) silver. This was reduced to 50% silver and in 1947 no silver at all was used and cupro-nickel became standard.

Half crowns are beautiful coins to collect and due to their long history they are very popular. As pre-1920 coins are 92.5% silver even worn copies will have the intrinsic price of the metal but they are still very affordable to most people.
Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.
If you don't see a coin in the list below try the Half-Crowns page on eBay UK
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1691 WILLIAM & MARY SILVER HALF CROWN - 2nd Busts, 3rd Rev.
1691 WILLIAM & MARY SILVER HALF CROWN - 2nd Busts, 3rd Rev.
£ 198.00
1691 Silver HALF CROWN Coin King William & Mary (1688-94) (14.37gr)
1691 Silver HALF CROWN Coin King William & Mary (1688-94) (14.37gr)
£ 129.99
1691 Silver HALF CROWN Coin King William & Mary (1688-94) (14.74gr) ESC516
1691 Silver HALF CROWN Coin King William & Mary (1688-94) (14.74gr) ESC516
£ 299.99
1691 Silver HALF CROWN Coin King William & Mary (1688-94) (14.70gr)
1691 Silver HALF CROWN Coin King William & Mary (1688-94) (14.70gr)
£ 299.99

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