1885 Halfcrown

1885 Halfcrown Reverse

The 1885 Half Crown

The Reverse is a crowned shield within an olive wreath by Jean Baptiste Merlen. The legend is "BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:" which means Queen of the Britains Defender of the Faith.

The edge is milled. Proof versions also exist.

The Obverse shows a Young Head, uncrowned portrait of Queen Victoria by WIlliam Wyon.

Image credit: M J Hughes Coins


Mintage: 1,628,400 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1885 ?
Monarch is Queen Victoria. Prime Minister is William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal), then on 23 June it is Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (Conservative). US President is Chester A. Arthur (R-New York) then on 4 March it is Grover Cleveland (D-New York). Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Professional football is legalised in Britain. Mark Twain publishes the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Victoria (1837-1901)
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria ruled for 64 years, a record only recently surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II.
 
Victoria's parents were Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who later became known as Prince Albert. Victoria had nine children, the eldest son succeeding her as Edward VII.


Victoria posed for a number of head portraits, but there are generally three major variants: Young Head (1838-1887) by William Wyon, RA; Jubilee Head (1887-1893) by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm and Old Head (1893-1901) by by Sir Thomas Brock.

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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1885 Queen Victoria Silver Half Crown Coin (Young Head) 925 Silver, F Grade RARE
1885 Queen Victoria Silver Half Crown Coin (Young Head) 925 Silver, F Grade RARE
£ 19.99
1885 Queen Victoria .925 Silver Half Crown in Worn Condition
1885 Queen Victoria .925 Silver Half Crown in Worn Condition
£ 12.99
AEF 1885 Queen Victoria Half Crown
AEF 1885 Queen Victoria Half Crown
£ 120.00
GB - 1885 HALF CROWN - HIGH GRADE
GB - 1885 HALF CROWN - HIGH GRADE
£ 120.00
1885 Queen Victoria Half Crown
1885 Queen Victoria Half Crown
£ 45.00
1885 Queen Victoria Silver Half-Crown SNo48085
1885 Queen Victoria Silver Half-Crown SNo48085
£ 15.95
1885 Half Crown-925 Sterling Silver-Queen Victoria
1885 Half Crown-925 Sterling Silver-Queen Victoria
£ 25.00
1844 - 1901 VICTROIA SILVER HALF CROWN CHOICE OF YEAR / DATE
1844 - 1901 VICTROIA SILVER HALF CROWN CHOICE OF YEAR / DATE
£ 19.99

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