1985 Half-Sovereign – Proof


The 1985 Half-Sovereign - Proof

Benedetto Pistrucci's famous portrayal of St. George slaying the dragon is depicted on the reverse.

Queen Elizabeth II's third portrait can be seen on the obverse, designed by Raphael Maklouf.

Images used by permission of M J Hughes Coins.


Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1985 ?
The Monarch is Queen Elizabeth II and the UK Prime Minister is Margaret Thatcher. The first mobile phone call is made. The Sinclair C5 launched - and ceases 7 months later. The first episode of EastEnders shown. The Miners strike ends. The Titanic is located on the sea floor 73 years after it sank.
Elizabeth II (1952-2022)
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British Monarch ever, reigning for over 70 years. Born on 21 April 1926 to King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she became Queen in 1952 and her Coronation was on 2 June 1953. She died on 8 September 2022. Some coins were released dated 2023.

Queen Elizabeth II issued many coins and was monarch during decimalisation. She married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 and had four children. Her eldest son succeeded the throne as King Charles III. House of Windsor.
Category: Half-Sovereigns
The 1985 Half-Sovereign - Proof 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 (Elizabeth II) 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 1985 Half-Sovereign - Proof
 
  • 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: Elizabeth II
  • 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.
If you don't see a coin in the list below try the Half-Sovereigns page on eBay UK
As an eBay Partner, We may be compensated if you make a purchase.

List items on:

The 1985 Royal Mint UK Proof Half Sovereign 22 Carat Gold Coin Boxed with CoA
The 1985 Royal Mint UK Proof Half Sovereign 22 Carat Gold Coin Boxed with CoA
£ 295.00
1985 Royal Mint Gold proof HALF sovereign PF69 Graded Ultra Cameo with case+COA
1985 Royal Mint Gold proof HALF sovereign PF69 Graded Ultra Cameo with case+COA
£ 375.00
1985 Gold Proof Half Sovereign Boxed
1985 Gold Proof Half Sovereign Boxed
£ 389.79
Gold Proof Coin Half Sovereign Royal Mint UK 1979 To 2023 Choose Your Year [A]
Gold Proof Coin Half Sovereign Royal Mint UK 1979 To 2023 Choose Your Year [A]
£ 390.00
Royal Mint UK GOLD PROOF HALF SOVEREIGN 1983 to  2024 - Choose your year
Royal Mint UK GOLD PROOF HALF SOVEREIGN 1983 to 2024 - Choose your year
£ 395.00
1985 Proof Half  Gold Sovereign
1985 Proof Half Gold Sovereign
£ 395.00
1985 Elizabeth II Proof 22k Gold Half Sovereign With Box And COA Nice Coin!!!!
1985 Elizabeth II Proof 22k Gold Half Sovereign With Box And COA Nice Coin!!!!
£ 351.55

List items on: