1698/7 Half-Crown – William III Overdate


The 1698/7 Half-Crown - William III, 8 over 7 Overdate

Silver halfcrown of William III, 1698 and overdate 8 over 7. The overdate greatly increases the price. Diameter 34mm, weighing 14.84g. SCBC 3494.

The Reverse shows crowned shields of England, Scotland, France and Ireland. In centre is the arms of Nassau. Legend is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET 1698, date divided and the 8 is struck over a 7.

Overdates like this are not errors, but rather a deliberate alteration by the Mint, maybe because they don't want the expense of a new die or to finish a batch after a die has broken. Although overdating has been used on several coins and years it is still rare.

The edge has a raised legend: + DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO REGNI DECIMO

The Obverse is the first bust of a draped King William III facing right. William is shown in Latin as GVLIELMVS. Legend is: GVLIELMVS III DEI GRA.

Image credit: Museums Victoria.


Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1698 ?
Monarch is King William III. Although there is no Prime Minister, a general election results in victory for the New Country Tories. The Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. Engineer Thomas Savery patents a steam pump.
William III (1694-1702)
William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth. He was born in Binnenhof, South Holland, Netherlands.

William III was King of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702, co-reigning with his wife, Queen Mary II (m. 1677–1694, her death). He was also know as King Billy.

The regnal years for William III coins were:
1699:UNDECIMO; 1700:DVODECIMO; 1701:DECIMO TERTIO.

On coins, William is usually spelled as latin: Gulielmus III.
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
As an eBay Partner, We may be compensated if you make a purchase.

List items on:

1698 HALFCROWN WILLIAM III British Silver Coin
1698 HALFCROWN WILLIAM III British Silver Coin
£ 65.00
1698 Silver Halfcrown, Extremely Fine
1698 Silver Halfcrown, Extremely Fine
£ 795.00
1698 Silver Halfcrown, Extremely Fine
1698 Silver Halfcrown, Extremely Fine
£ 795.00
1698 HALFCROWN WILLIAM III British Silver Coin
1698 HALFCROWN WILLIAM III British Silver Coin
£ 149.00
1698 WILLIAM III SILVER HALFCROWN, DECIMO, BRITISH SILVER COIN, VF
1698 WILLIAM III SILVER HALFCROWN, DECIMO, BRITISH SILVER COIN, VF
£ 199.99
1698 WILLIAM III SILVER HALFCROWN COIN IN USED CONDITION.
1698 WILLIAM III SILVER HALFCROWN COIN IN USED CONDITION.
£ 47.00
William III 1698 Halfcrown DECIMO S.3494
William III 1698 Halfcrown DECIMO S.3494
£ 310.00
William III 1698 Half Crown DECIMO Silver Nice Collectable Condition
William III 1698 Half Crown DECIMO Silver Nice Collectable Condition
£ 250.00

List items on: