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1893 gold Half Sovereign, struck with the Old Head portrait of Queen Victoria. The Old or Veiled Head effigy replaced the unpopular Jubilee Head in this year, with most 1893-dated Half Sovereigns issued with Sir Thomas Brock's new design. This new effigy of Victoria, shown wearing a diadem and a veil, is paired with an older reverse design, used for the first time on Half Sovereigns this year. Benedetto Pistrucci's classic Saint George and the dragon design had been used intermittently on 'full' Sovereigns since 1817, but 1893 marked its first use on Half Sovereigns. Despite the new designs, these coins are minted to a historic specification in 22-carat gold. Some 4,392,418 Half Sovereigns were struck in this calendar year, with the Widowed Head piece being a key addition to any date run.
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1893 Half Sovereigns saw the introduction of the classic Saint George and the dragon motif, borrowed from the 'full' Sovereign to this denomination. This enduring motif was created by Benedetto Pistrucci in the early 19th century.
1893 Half Sovereigns were the first to feature Sir Thomas Brock's so-called Widowed or Old Head portrait of Queen Victoria. The inscription reads 'VICTORIA · DEI · GRA · BRITT · REGINA · FID · DEF · IND · IMP ·'.
These coins are struck to a historic specification in just under four grams of solid 91.67% (22-carat) fine gold, making them half the weight of a 'full' Sovereign. They measure 19.3 millimetres from milled edge to milled edge.
In the 1893 calendar year, the London branch of the Royal Mint struck some 4,392,418 gold Half Sovereigns. This figure includes both Old Head Half Sovereigns and the 1893 Jubilee Head Half Sovereign - the other portrait used in this year.
Like most historic currency coins, these 1893 Veiled Head Half Sovereigns will show signs of having been in circulation, including wear, marks and minor edge dings, commensurate with their age and their grade.
