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1820 Gold Half Sovereign George III Coin

1820 Gold Half Sovereign George III Coin Reverse

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Buy a 1820 Half Sovereign

Highly collectable 1820 gold Half Sovereign: the final issue from the reign of King George III. Records indicate that just 35,043 of these 22-carat gold coins were minted in the 1820 calendar year, with surviving examples rated R2 by Marsh (Very Rare). These coins display a crowned shield of royal arms on their reverse, engraved by the renowned William Wyon. This is paired with Benedetto Pistrucci's laureate head of George III, facing right. George passed away in January of 1820, but all gold coinage with this date is struck in his name, rather than that of his son and successor, King George IV. A desirable issue and a key addition to any Half Sovereign date run.
Grade: F/gF - Fine/good Fine
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Crowned Shield Reverse

William Wyon apparently designed the reverse of these early Half Sovereigns, which display a flat-topped shield of royal arms, surmounted by a crown. The abbreviated Latin legend reads 'BRITANNIARUM REX FID: DEF:'.

George III Laureate Head

Benedetto Pistrucci's distinctive right-facing laureate head of King George III appears on the obverse of this 1820 coin. This is accompanied by an inscription that reads 'GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA' with the date below the bust.

Half Sovereign Specifications

The specification for Half Sovereigns was established in 1817 and remains in use today. These coins are half the weight of 'full' Sovereigns and measure 19.3 millimetres in diameter, but they are struck in the same 22-carat gold.

Very Rare Early Date

Published records indicate that just 35,043 gold Half Sovereigns were struck by the Royal Mint in 1820, with high-grade surviving examples regarded as very rare by Sovereign experts like Marsh, who rates these coins R2.

Collecting Historic Currency

The first Half Sovereigns were struck as currency, and most examples display signs of wear and handling typical of circulation coinage. These historic coins are individually authenticated and graded by our staff numismatists.