½ Guinea - George II (1728–1739)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1728–1739 |
| Denomination | ½ Guinea |
| Face value | 52.5p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1891 |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 4.200g · 0.1238 t oz |
| Diameter | 20.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | John Croker |
| Rev. artist | John Ochs |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Young laureate portrait of King George II left, legend around.
GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA
Crowned Royal shield of arms
M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1728 Half Guinea - George II
The 1728 Half Guinea - George II is a circulating ½ guinea coin issued from 1728 to 1739, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 4.2g and measures 20mm across. Reverse design: Crowned Royal shield of arms.
It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1728 Half Guinea - George II worth?
No verified sale of the 1728 Half Guinea - George II has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £371 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How much was a George II half guinea worth?
Ten shillings and sixpence. A royal proclamation of December 1717 fixed the guinea at 21 shillings, which made the half guinea worth half that, written 10s 6d or 10/6. It weighed about 4.2 grams, in gold 0.917 fine.
What years was the young head half guinea struck?
From 1728 to 1739. Wikipedia lists George II half guineas for every year of the reign except 1735, 1741, 1742, 1744, 1754 and 1757, so this type exists for 1728 to 1734 and 1736 to 1739. No mintage figure survives for any of them.
What is an E.I.C. half guinea?
A half guinea struck from gold supplied by the East India Company, with the letters E.I.C. under the king's head. A warrant of November 1729 allowed the mark. CoinVarieties records E.I.C. half guineas for 1729 and 1730 and calls the variety rare.
Is there a proof George II half guinea?
Yes, for 1728, the first year of the type. The Royal Mint Museum holds one with a plain edge, weighing 4.39 g. Heritage described the 1728 proof as the earliest known proof half guinea, engraved by John Croker late in his time at the Mint.
How do I identify the 1728 Half Guinea - George II?
Check the weight 4.2g and diameter 20mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The half guinea was the smallest gold coin of George II's reign. Its value had been fixed at ten shillings and sixpence since a proclamation of December 1717 set the guinea at 21 shillings, and the price "10/6" stayed in use long after the coin had gone. The young head type was introduced in 1728 and struck in most years to 1739; Wikipedia lists no half guineas for 1735.
These were years of plentiful gold. The East India Company supplied bullion from 1729 to 1739, and after a proclamation of February 1733 banned the old hammered gold, the Royal Mint Museum records that 700,000 pounds' worth was recoined into guineas and half guineas. No mintage figure survives for any date. The Royal Mint Museum's 1738 example weighs 4.16 g.
The obverse is John Croker's young laureate head of George II facing left, with GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA. Croker had cut the coins of Anne and George I, and from 1729 John Sigismund Tanner assisted him, taking over the reverse dies.
The reverse is the reign's new single crowned shield, credited by the Royal Mint Museum to John Ochs, replacing the four shields of George I. Its quarters show England and Scotland, France, Hanover and Ireland, and the legend M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I A T ET E stands for King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg, Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. The edge is grained obliquely.
Varieties and errors
Half guineas struck from East India Company gold carry E.I.C. below the bust; CoinVarieties records them for 1729 and 1730. A proof of 1728 with a plain edge exists, and Heritage called it the earliest known proof of the denomination.
Collecting notes
CoinVarieties judges this type considerably scarcer than the guinea of the same years. Check for E.I.C. under the bust, test the oblique edge graining for filing, and weigh the coin against the 4.16 g museum example. Look closely for mount marks and old repairs: CoinVarieties illustrates a 1730 coin with a possible mount mark and a 1739 coin with a smoothed scratch. The type was followed in 1740 by the intermediate head half guinea.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Half guinea, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1731 1/2 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George II, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George II proof half-guinea, 1728 (RMM 471), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Catalogue of the Coins, Tokens, Medals, Dies and Seals in the Museum of the Royal Mint, Vol. I Part I (Hocking, 1906), pages 158 to 159, Royal Mint Museum library (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George II half-guinea, 1738 (RMM 472), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1728 1/2 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1730 1/2 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1739 1/2 guinea Fr-345, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1729-EIC 1/2 guinea, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
