The 1837 Gold Half-Sovereign - William IVGold Half-Sovereign of King William IV minted at the Royal Mint in 1837. It was the last of the William IV half-sovereigns. SCBC: 3831. The half-sovereign was worth 10 shillings.
William IV half-sovereigns came in two sizes (both with same weight). Half-sovs were not made every year and in 1831 and 1834 the diameter was 17.9mm (small size) and in 1835, 1836 and 1837 the diameter increased to 19.4mm (large size).
The size was made smaller to distinguish the half-sov from the sixpence (which had the same diameter at the time), but the public didn't like the new size and so it reverted back after 1834. Some 1836 half-sovereigns were struck (erroneously) with the 19.4mm diameter sixpence die (they can be quite expensive to buy).
The Reverse shows a crowned shield of the Royal Arms with mantle, designed by Jean Baptiste Merlen. Dated as "ANNO 1837".
King William IV’s bare head portrait can be seen on the obverse of the coin, facing right, designed by William Wyon. William IV is Latinised on the coin as GULIELMUS IIII. Legend: "GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:".Sovereigns issued from 1817 to 1837 are often described as ‘Early King’ sovereigns. King George III, King George IV and King William IV are all depicted on sovereigns minted during these years.
Image credit: Museums Victoria
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Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1837 ?
The Monarch is King William IV until his death on 20 June. As none of his ten surviving children being legitimate the throne goes to his 18-year-old niece, Princess Victoria of Kent becomes Queen Victoria. The Prime Minister is William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Whig) and continues after the 18 August General election. Charles Dickens serialises Oliver Twist.
In the USA, the 7th President Andrew Jackson (D-Tennessee) ends his second term and on March 4 it is Martin Van Buren (D-New York). Richard Johnson becomes the only Vice President of the United States chosen by the Senate. Inventor John Deere starts his agricultural equipment business.
In the USA, the 7th President Andrew Jackson (D-Tennessee) ends his second term and on March 4 it is Martin Van Buren (D-New York). Richard Johnson becomes the only Vice President of the United States chosen by the Senate. Inventor John Deere starts his agricultural equipment business.
William IV (1830-1837)
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. He was the third son of King George III, born 21 August 1765. William married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen and had two daughters (Charlotte and Elizabeth) but was also known to have ten illegitimate children with actress Dorithea Jordan.Note that on coins, William IV is often written as GULIELMUS IIII. William IV is sometimes known as the 'Sailor King'. On his death the throne passed to his niece, Victoria.
Category: Half-Sovereigns
The 1837 Gold Half-Sovereign - William IV is an example of the Gold Half-Sovereign and is a gold coin, being as it's name suggests, half the value and half of the gold weight of a gold sovereign. Today, the half-sovereign is a commemorative coin, not issued every year and often only collected as part of a set.The Half-Sovereign wa introduced a long time ago, in 1544 during the reign of Henry VII. However it was discontinued in 1604 (along with full sovereigns) and no more were minted until 1817. Production ended again in 1926 (1933 in Australia) and except for a few special issues during the Coronation years, it was 1980 when we saw half-sovereigns again.
As the value is half of one sovereign, that gives the half-sovereign a face value of half a pound or ten shillings - 50p in post-decimal money, although you're going to have to pay somewhat over the gold price if you want to buy one.
The Obverse is the Monarch's head (William IV) and on modern half-sovereigns the Reverse is most often St George and the Dragon (usually the Benedetto Pistrucci version), although other backs have been used.
Specifications for 1837 Gold Half-Sovereign - William IV
- Weight: 3.99 g
- Diameter: 19.30 mm
- Thickness: 0.99 mm
- Purity: 22 carat = 91.67% (11/12ths gold, 1/12th copper. Adding copper makes the coin more scratch and dent resistant)
- Gold Content: 3.6575 g = 0.1176 troy ounce
- Face value: £0.50 = 10 shillings (decimal: 50 pence)
- Monarch: William IV
- These specifications apply to half-sovereigns from 1817.
History
Up until 1604 there was a coin called the English gold sovereign and in 1816 when there was the "Great Recoinage" the name was revived. At that time standard gold (22 carat) was valued at £46 14s 6d per troy pound; this meant a £1 coin needed to weigh 123.2744783 grains or 7.988030269 g. The weight is still the same today.
As a historical note: to maintain the Gold Standard, in 1816 the value of silver was set at 66 shillings for one troy pound and silver coins were only legal for denominations up to £2.
The diameter of a half-sovereign is 19.3mm and is only slightly smaller than a full sovereign (22.05mm) so first appearance may confuse inexperienced buyers. You can see in the image on the right, the half-sovereign on the right hand side is quite similar to the full sovereign on the left.
While you can buy half-sovereigns, many collectors only own them as part of a set.
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.
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| 1817 Great Britain British King George III Half Sovereign Gold Coin £ 2,099.95 |
| George IV 1824 Gold Half Sovereign S.3803 XF45(EF) grade, slabbed £ 822.00 |
| George III 1818 Gold Half Sovereign S.3786 XF(EF) grade, cleaned & slabbed £ 725.00 |
| 1837 William IV Gold Half Sovereign £ 2,950.00 |
 | 1887 Great Britain Queen Victoria Half Sovereign Gold Proof Coin PCGS PR66 DCAM £ 9,999.95 |
 | 1887 22ct Gold Victoria Jubilee Head, Shield Back Half Sovereign Great Condition £ 370.00 |
 | 1837 Great Britain 1/2 Sov half sovereign gold coin King William IV UK RARE £ 1,146.06 |
 | 1861 Great Britain Half Sovereign Gold Coin Slabbed By PCGS MS63 RARE £ 1,420.00 |
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