The British half crown was a denomination of sterling coinage worth

pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...

, or two

shillings The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence ...

and six

pence A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is t ...

(abbreviated "2/6", familiarly "two and six"), or 30 pre-decimal pence. The gold half crown was first issued in England in 1526, in the reign of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

, with a value half that of the crown coin. The first silver half crown appeared in 1551, under

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

and was dated. No half crowns were issued in the reign of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

, but from the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

half crowns were issued in every reign except that of

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

, until the coins were discontinued in 1970. During the

English Interregnum The Interregnum was the period between the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649 and the arrival of his son Charles II of England, Charles II in London on 29 May 1660, which marked the start of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration. During the ...

of 1649–1660, a republican half crown was issued, bearing the arms of the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

, despite monarchist associations of the coin's name. When

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

was made Lord Protector of England, half crowns were issued bearing his portrait depicting him wearing a

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...

in the manner of a Roman Emperor. The half crown did not display its value on the reverse until 1893. In the 20th century a slang term for the coin was "half-a-dollar". The half crown was

demonetised Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment in court for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which, when offered ("tender ...

(ahead of other pre-decimal coins) on 1 January 1970, the year before the United Kingdom adopted

decimal currency Decimalisation or decimalization (see spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by powers of 10. Most countries have decimalised their currencies, converting them from non-decimal ...

Decimal Day Decimal Day () in the United Kingdom and in Republic of Ireland, Ireland was Monday 15 February 1971, the day on which each country decimalised its respective £sd currency of pound sterling, pounds, Shilling (British coin), shillings, and pe ...

History of the half crown by reign

1526: the first English half crown was struck in gold. *

: issued gold half crowns, and in 1551 the first half crown in silver, which was dated and showed the king riding a horse. *

Queen Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous a ...

: the half crown was struck on Mary's marriage to

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

in 1554 but was never issued for circulation. Three specimens exist. *

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

: gold half crowns were issued again. At the end of the reign silver half crowns were issued. *

King James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

: gold half crowns were issued again. During the reign silver half crowns were issued. * King Charles I: silver half crowns were issued, including those struck as obsidional money, money of necessity during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

period. *

silver half crowns were issued. During the years 1656 and 1658 milled half crowns were issued of Oliver Cromwell. * King Charles II 1663–1685: silver half crowns were issued, and this period saw the end of the hammered issue of half crowns. *

King James II James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...

1685–1688: silver half crown. *

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

Queen Mary II Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband, King William III and II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. She was also Princess of Orange following her marriage on 4 November 1677 ...

1689–1694: silver half crown. *

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

1694–1702: silver half crown. * Queen Anne 1702–1714: silver half crown. * King George I 1714–1727: silver half crown. * King George II 1727–1760: silver half crown. *

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

1760–1820: silver half crown. *

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

1820–1830: silver half crown. *

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

1830–1837: silver half crown. *

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

1837–1901: silver half crown. *

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

1902–1910: silver half crown. *

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

1910–1936: silver half crown,

sterling silver Sterling silver is an alloy composed mass fraction (chemistry), by weight of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver silver standards, standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. ''Fineness, Fine silver'' ...

(92½% silver) until 1919, then 50% silver. *

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

1936: 50% silver half crown. Not issued for circulation. *

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

1937–1952: 50% silver half crowns were issued until 1946 when the metal was changed to

cupro-nickel Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. ( Monel is a ...

. *

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

1953–1967: the last half crown for general circulation was issued in 1967, and the coin was withdrawn in 1970, before

decimalisation Decimalisation or decimalization (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by Power of 10, powers of 10. Most countries have ...

. Proof sets of £sd coins, including the half crown, were issued by the Royal Mint, bearing the date 1970.

Size and weight

From 1816, in the reign of George III, half crown coins had a diameter of 32 mm and a weight of 14.14 grams (defined as

troy ounce Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in the Kingdom of England in the 15th century and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 p ...

), dimensions which remained the same for the half crown until

in 1971.

Mintages

The mintage figures below are taken from the annual UK publication ''Coin Yearbook''.

Gallery

File:Half crown of Edward VI (r. 1547–53) MET DP100457.jpg, Edward VI half-crown, 1552 File:NARC-03DB91, james I half crown reverse gold (FindID 536070).jpg, Gold half crown of James I File:Charles I half crown (FindID 455695).jpg, Charles I half-crown File:Cromwellcoin.jpg, Half crown coin of

, 1658 File:GREAT BRITAIN -CHARLES II, HALF CROWN 1680 a - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg, Half crown of Charles II, 1680 File:James II Half crown obverse (FindID 55685).jpg, Half crown of James II, 1687 File:GREAT BRITAIN, WILLIAM III, MARY II 1691 -HALF CROWN b - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg, Half crown of 1691: William III and Mary II File:PUBLIC-3CFDCF William III Half Crown (1696) (FindID 795243).jpg, Half crown of William III, 1696 File:Half-crown of Anne.jpg, Half crown of Queen Anne COIN (FindID 920675-1036562).jpg, Half crown of George I, 1723 File:George2coin.jpg, Half crown of George II, 1746 File:George3coin.jpg, Half crown of George III, 1816 File:George4coin.jpg, Half crown of George IV, 1821 File:GREAT BRITAIN, WILLIAM IV 1836 -HALF CROWN b - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg, Half crown of William IV, 1836 File:GREAT BRITAIN, QUEEN VICTORIA-1885 HALF CROWN b - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg, Half-crown of Victoria, 1885 File:GREAT BRITAIN -VICTORIA HALF CROWN 1888 ab - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg, Half-crown of Victoria, 1888 File:1905 Edward VII Halfcrown (reverse) UNCIRCULATED.JPG, The reverse of the 1905, Edward VII, half crown File:GREAT BRITAIN, GEORGE V, 1930 -HALF CROWN b - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg, George V half crown, 1930 File:GREAT BRITAIN, GEORGE VI -HALF CROWN 1948 b - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg, George VI half crown, 1948 File:1953 half crown obverse.jpg, The obverse of the 1953, Elizabeth II, half crown File:1953 half crown reverse.jpg, The reverse of the 1953, Elizabeth II, half crown

References

External links