Very Rare: fewer than 100,000 minted. Sells occasionally: 7 verified sales in the last 12 months.
½ Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse (1821)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1821 |
| Denomination | ½ Sovereign |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 231,288 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Half Sovereign |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1891 |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 3.990g · 0.1176 t oz |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Rev. artist | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate portrait of King George IV left, legend around.
GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:
© Heritage Auctions
ANNO 1821
Half Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse market value
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AffiliateHalf Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse price history
Daily limit reachedHalf Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF | £3,400.00 🔒 | £3,400.00 (1) | – | £2,200.00 – £3,400.00 | 0 | 4 | 05-12-2021 | |
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| VF | £24.62 🔒 eBay | £20.31 | – | £12.94 – £4,200.00 | 6 | 9 | 07-10-2026 | |
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| F | £650.00 🔒 | £475.00 (2) | – | £300.00 – £650.00 | 0 | 2 | 07-12-2014 | |
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| MS-63 | £4,200.00 🔒 | £4,200.00 (1) | – | £4,200.00 – £4,200.00 | 0 | 1 | 06-03-2016 | |
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| MS-64 | £6,000.00 🔒 | £6,000.00 (1) | – | £6,000.00 – £6,000.00 | 1 | 1 | 07-10-2026 | |
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| PR-64 | £2,700.00 🔒 | £2,700.00 (1) | – | £2,700.00 – £2,700.00 | 0 | 1 | 02-11-2003 | |
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| PR-65 | £5,000.00 🔒 | £5,000.00 (1) | – | £5,000.00 – £5,000.00 | 0 | 1 | 07-06-2020 | |
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About the 1821 Half Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse
The 1821 Half Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse is a circulating ½ sovereign coin in the Half Sovereign series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 3.99g. Reverse design: © Heritage Auctions.
231,288 were struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1891), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1821 Half Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1821 Half Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse run from £20.31 to £6,000 across 7 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one. Its gold content is worth about £354 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How many 1821 half sovereigns were made?
Coin Hunter gives a mintage of 231,288 for the 1821 half sovereign. It was the only date struck with this first reverse, which was replaced when the half sovereign was next struck in 1823 with a plainer shield.
Why was the 1821 half sovereign reverse changed?
Wikipedia, citing Marsh, says the ornately garnished shield was withdrawn because the coin looked too much like the silver sixpence in size and appearance, so a sixpence could be gilded and passed off as a half sovereign.
Who designed the 1821 half sovereign?
Benedetto Pistrucci engraved the laureate portrait of George IV, which the Royal Mint Museum calls skilful if somewhat unflattering. Jean Baptiste Merlen designed the garnished shield on the reverse.
Is the 1821 half sovereign scarce?
Tony Clayton describes the 1821 as a scarce type coin, since it is the only date with this reverse. Its mintage of 231,288 is close to 1823's, but the later shield type was also struck in larger numbers in 1824 and 1825.
Is a George IV half sovereign still legal tender?
No. Wikipedia records that all gold coins from before Queen Victoria's reign were called in by Royal Proclamation on 22 November 1890 and demonetised with effect from 28 February 1891.
How do I identify the 1821 Half Sovereign - George IV 1st reverse?
Check the weight 3.99g and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
George IV succeeded his father in 1820, and the first half sovereigns of his reign are dated 1821. Wikipedia, citing Marsh, records that this first reverse, a crowned and ornately garnished shield, was quickly withdrawn: the coin was too close in size and appearance to the silver sixpence, so a gilded sixpence could be passed off as a half sovereign. When the half sovereign was next struck, in 1823, it carried a plainer shield.
Coin Hunter gives a mintage of 231,288 for 1821. Tony Clayton notes that George IV's half sovereigns use two obverses and three reverses with no overlap within a single date, which makes the 1821 a one-year type and, in his words, a scarce type coin.
The obverse is Benedetto Pistrucci's laureate head of the king facing left. The Royal Mint Museum describes Pistrucci's 1820 portrait for George IV's first coins as skilful, if somewhat unflattering; the king's dislike of it later led to its replacement. The Royal Mint Museum's 1821 proof reads GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:, using the four-stroke numeral, with the date on the reverse after ANNO.
The reverse, credited by Wikipedia to Jean Baptiste Merlen, shows the crowned shield of the royal arms within ornate garnishing. As on all shield half sovereigns until Victoria, the shield carries the arms of Hanover. The coin is 22-carat gold with a milled edge.
Varieties and errors
Proofs dated 1821 exist, and the Royal Mint Museum holds one (RMM 1304) weighing 4.1 g with a milled edge. The Museum also records pattern half sovereigns dated 1820 and 1821, including a silver striking from 1821 dies that may have been made in 1873.
Collecting notes
As a single-date type, the 1821 is the only way to represent this reverse in a set of George IV gold. Wear shows first on the laurel wreath and the hair above the ear, and on the high points of the garnishing around the shield. Because sixpences of the period were gilded to imitate this coin, check weight and colour carefully and be wary of any piece that looks plated.
George IV half sovereigns, like all pre-Victorian gold, were demonetised from 28 February 1891. The plainer shield type that followed is the 1823 to 1825 half sovereign.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Half sovereign, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- 1821 coin values, George IV, Coin Hunter (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George IV proof half-sovereign, 1821 (RMM 1304), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Ten Shillings: Half Sovereign, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Benedetto Pistrucci, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George IV pattern half-sovereign, 1821 (RMM 1305), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
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