1998 Half-Sovereign – Proof


The 1998 Half-Sovereign - Proof

Benedetto Pistrucci’s famous portrayal of St. George and the dragon is depicted on the reverse of the coin.

The mintage for the 1998 Gold Proof Half-Sovereign was 7,500 pieces although another 3,500 were commissioned for sets.

Queen Elizabeth II’s fourth portrait is on the obverse with a new design by Ian Rank-Broadley for the first time in proof sovs.

Images used by permission of M J Hughes Coins.


Mintage: 11,000 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1998 ?
Monarch is Elizabeth II. Prime Minister is Tony Blair (Labour). US President is Bill Clinton. UK takes over the Presidency of the EC's Council of Ministers. Eurovision Song Contest held at NIA in Birmingham; Danijela wins for Croatia. DVD's appear in the UK, selling 6,000 in first six months. Omagh bombing kills 29. U.S. Spacecraft Finds Water on Moon. On 15 June the bi-metallic two pound coin goes into circulation (coins are dated 1997).
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 1998 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 1998 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
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List items on:

1998 Gold Proof Only Year 1/2 Half Sovereign Boxed + COA
1998 Gold Proof Only Year 1/2 Half Sovereign Boxed + COA
£ 299.00
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]
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1998 Proof  Half Gold Sovereign
1998 Proof Half Gold Sovereign
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BOXED 1998 ELIZABETH II GOLD PROOF HALF SOVEREIGN COIN - MINT WITH CERTIFICATE
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1998 Proof  Half Gold Sovereign
1998 Proof Half Gold Sovereign
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BOXED 1998 GOLD PROOF HALF SOVEREIGN & QUARTER OUNCE BRITANNIA TWO COIN SET
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1998 Gold Proof Half Sovereign with box, certificate and bag
1998 Gold Proof Half Sovereign with box, certificate and bag
£ 380.00
Royal Mint 22CT Gold Proof 1998 HALF SOVEREIGN - Boxed with COA Limited Edition
Royal Mint 22CT Gold Proof 1998 HALF SOVEREIGN - Boxed with COA Limited Edition
£ 360.00

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