½ Crown - George VI 3rd type no 'IND:IMP' (1949–1952)

One row for each year the ½ Crown - George VI 3rd type – no 'IND:IMP' was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet; years with no sales yet fill in as sales are recorded. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 1949 Half Crown - George VI 3rd type – no 'IND:IMP'

The 1949 Half Crown - George VI 3rd type – no 'IND:IMP' is a circulating ½ crown coin issued from 1949 to 1952, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 14.14g and measures 32.3mm across. Reverse design: Quartered shield of arms flanked by crowned royal cyphers, legend above, denomination and date below.

Mintage figures are recorded for 4 years between 1949 and 1952, 65,611,501 coins in all. 1952 is the scarcest date, with 1 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1969), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

From 1 January 1949 George VI's coins were struck to new designs without IND IMP. A proclamation of 22 June 1948 had removed Indiae Imperator, Emperor of India, from the royal title, and a second proclamation of 22 December 1948 set out the revised coins. Wikipedia's florin article ties the change to India's independence.

The half crown of this type was struck in cupro-nickel for 1949, 1950 and 1951. Coin Hunter and Wikipedia's Coin Yearbook table agree on 28,272,512, 28,335,500 and 9,003,520, a total of 65,611,532. The 1951 figure is less than a third of either earlier year.

There should have been no 1952 half crown. Tony Clayton writes that nickel was in short supply during the Korean War and none were intended for issue, yet he believes two dated 1952 are known: one recovered from circulation and one VIP proof. Coin Hunter and Wikipedia each record only one. The King died on 6 February 1952, and the half crown next appeared in 1953 with Elizabeth II's portrait.

The 1948 proclamation describes the reverse as the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom in a shield, with the King's initial doubled and interlaced on each side, surmounted by the Royal Crown, and the shorter inscription FID DEF with HALF CROWN and the date. The design is George Kruger Gray's, but Wikipedia's article on him says the 1949 rearrangement was made by another hand and lacks his initials.

The obverse is unchanged: Humphrey Paget's portrait of the King facing left with GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX, which the Royal Mint Museum says has been described as the classic coinage head of the 20th century. The edge is milled.

Varieties and errors

The 1952 half crown is the one great rarity of the type and was never officially issued. Accounts differ on whether one or two exist.

Collecting notes

1951 is the date to watch in a run of this type. Clayton lists proofs dated 1950 and 1951 as well. Compare the legend with the 1947 and 1948 half crown, which still reads IND IMP.

Treat any 1952 half crown offered for sale with care, given that one or two are recorded. The Royal Mint Museum records that the half crown ceased to be legal tender in January 1970, so none of these can be spent.