Legendary: fewer than 100 minted. Sells often: 32 verified sales in the last 12 months.
½ Sovereign - George VI (1937)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1937 |
| Denomination | ½ Sovereign |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 5,501 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Half Sovereign |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 3.990g · 0.1176 t oz |
| Diameter | 19.0mm |
| Thickness | 1.00mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Thomas Humphrey Paget |
| Rev. artist | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Tags | Fantasy animal Horse or equine |
Uncrowned portrait of King George VI left, legend around.
GEORGIVS VI D:G: BR: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP:
St George on horseback slaying the dragon right, date in exergue.
1937 B.P.
Half Sovereign - George VI market value
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AffiliateHalf Sovereign - George VI price history
Daily limit reachedHalf Sovereign - George VI 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 | |
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| EF | £1,100.00 🔒 | £1,100.00 (1) | – | £1,100.00 – £1,100.00 | 0 | 1 | 25-03-2025 | |
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| VF | £731.00 🔒 | £1,232.00 | – | £731.00 – £2,120.00 | 3 | 4 | 19-05-2026 | |
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| G-3 | £946.00 🔒 | £946.00 (1) | – | £946.00 – £946.00 | 1 | 1 | 11-09-2026 | |
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| PR-60 | £800.00 🔒 | £800.00 (1) | – | £800.00 – £800.00 | 1 | 1 | 02-07-2026 | |
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| PR-62 | £1,300.00 🔒 | £1,051.50 | – | £800.00 – £1,300.00 | 2 | 5 | 07-10-2026 | |
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| PR-63 | £924.50 🔒 | £990.68 | – | £622.78 – £1,400.00 | 4 | 13 | 02-09-2026 | |
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| PR-64 | £1,577.50 🔒 eBay | £1,577.50 | – | £660.00 – £1,699.00 | 3 | 11 | 15-08-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £950.00 🔒 | £1,000.00 | – | £280.00 – £27,520.00 | 15 | 64 | 07-06-2026 | |
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| PR-66 | £1,661.58 🔒 | £1,900.00 | – | £1,283.31 – £2,300.00 | 3 | 7 | 29-04-2026 | |
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| PR-67 | £4,000.00 🔒 | £4,000.00 (1) | – | £4,000.00 – £4,000.00 | 0 | 1 | 04-12-2022 | |
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About the 1937 Half Sovereign - George VI
The 1937 Half Sovereign - George VI is a collector ½ sovereign coin in the Half Sovereign series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 3.99g and measures 19mm across. Reverse design: St George on horseback slaying the dragon right, date in exergue.
5,501 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1937 Half Sovereign - George VI worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1937 Half Sovereign - George VI run from £800 to £4,000 across 10 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 £352 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How many 1937 half sovereigns were made?
Coin Hunter and Sovereign Rarities give 5,501, the same figure as the other three coins in the 1937 gold proof set. The London Coin Company quotes 5,001 instead, which looks like a slip, since every other reference consulted gives 5,501. All were proofs and none were struck for circulation.
Is there an Edward VIII half sovereign?
Not an official one. Wikipedia records that the half sovereign was left out of the pattern sets prepared in 1936 for Edward VIII, unlike the sovereign, double sovereign and £5, for which patterns exist.
Is the 1937 half sovereign legal tender?
Technically not. The Royal Mint Museum explains that the 1937 gold proofs were struck with a plain edge instead of the milled edge required by the Royal Proclamation, so they do not match the legal specification. Dealers describe them as technically patterns for the same reason.
Who designed the 1937 half sovereign?
Humphrey Paget designed the bare-headed portrait of George VI facing left, signed HP below the neck. The reverse is Benedetto Pistrucci's St George and the dragon, the sovereign family's traditional design, with the date 1937 in the exergue and B.P. to its upper right.
How do I identify the 1937 Half Sovereign - George VI?
Check the weight 3.99g and diameter 19mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The half sovereign of 1937 was the smallest of four gold proofs struck for the coronation of George VI. The Royal Mint Museum notes that sovereign production in Britain and at the overseas branches had stopped by the coronation, so the set marked the new reign and was not meant for circulation. Wikipedia describes it as part of the tradition of striking every denomination as a proof in a new monarch's coronation year.
Coin Hunter and Sovereign Rarities give 5,501 for the half sovereign, matching the rest of the set. Tony Clayton records that no further gold was struck in the reign, so this is the only George VI half sovereign. Wikipedia adds that the denomination had been left out of the Edward VIII pattern sets, and that the next half sovereigns, dated 1953, went only to the royal and national collections.
The obverse carries Humphrey Paget's bare-headed portrait of the King facing left, signed HP below the neck. The Royal Mint Museum records that Paget alone was commissioned after the abdication and finished the effigy in little more than a month. The legend reads GEORGIVS VI D:G: BR: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP:, George the Sixth, by the grace of God King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India.
The reverse is Benedetto Pistrucci's St George and the dragon, with 1937 in the exergue and B.P. to its upper right.
Collecting notes
Like the rest of the 1937 gold, the half sovereign has a plain edge where circulating half sovereigns are milled. The Royal Mint Museum notes this makes the coins technically not legal tender, as they do not meet the Royal Proclamation's specification.
The coin was sold in the coronation gold set with the 1937 sovereign, £2 and £5. Check the mirrored fields for hairlines and confirm the plain edge. Treat any Edward VIII half sovereign offered as a Mint pattern with caution, because Wikipedia records that the denomination was not included in the 1936 pattern sets for that king.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- George VI (modern sovereign), Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Humphrey Paget, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George VI 1937 Proof Half Sovereign PF65 UCAM, Coronation issue, Sovereign Rarities (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 1937 Coin Values, George VI, Coin Hunter (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Half sovereign, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- UK Coins of George VI, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The modern sovereign, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 1937 George VI Coronation Half Sovereign Gold Proof Coin PCGS PR65+ CAM, The London Coin Company (read 10 Oct 2026)
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