Common: 10,000,000 or more minted. Sells regularly: 21 verified sales in the last 12 months.
½ Sovereign - Victoria 1st portrait (1838–1885)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1838–1885 |
| Denomination | ½ Sovereign |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage by year |
Scarcest year: 35,000 struck
|
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Half Sovereign |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 3.990g · 0.1176 t oz |
| Diameter | 19.3mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | William Wyon |
| Rev. artist | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Young uncrowned portrait of Queen Victoria left, legend around, date below.
VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Crowned quartered shield of arms, legend around.
BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID : DEF :
Half Sovereign - Victoria market value
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AffiliateHalf Sovereign - Victoria price history
Daily limit reachedHalf Sovereign - Victoria value by year
1838 to 1885 · median sold prices| Year | Mintage | Circulated | Uncirculated | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | 273,000 | £1,400.00 | £2,500.00 | 16 | |
|
VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1841 | 509,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1842 | 2,223,000 | £804.19 (1) | £1,892.00 type | 1 | |
|
VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1843 | 1,252,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1844 | 1,127,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1845 | 888,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1846 | 1,064,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1847 | 983,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1848 | 411,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1849 | 845,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1850 | 180,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1851 | 774,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1852 | 1,378,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1853 | 2,709,000 | £422.00 (1) | £460.00 (1) | 2 | |
|
VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1854 | 1,125,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1855 | 1,120,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1856 | 2,392,000 | £399.40 (1) | £1,892.00 type | 1 | |
|
VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1857 | 728,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1858 | 856,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1859 | 2,204,000 | £417.40 | £1,892.00 type | 4 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1860 | 1,132,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1861 | 1,131,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1863 | 1,572,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1864 | 1,758,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1865 | 1,835,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1866 | 2,059,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1867 | 993,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1869 | 1,862,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1870 | 160,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1871 | 2,063,000 | £418.50 type | £361.20 (1) | 1 | |
|
VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1872 | 3,249,000 | £347.35 | £1,892.00 type | 4 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1873 | 1,927,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1874 | 1,884,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1875 | 516,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1876 | 2,785,000 | £440.20 | £1,892.00 type | 3 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1877 | 2,197,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1878 | 2,082,000 | £280.00 (1) | £1,892.00 type | 1 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
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| 1879 scarcest | 35,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1880 | 1,008,999 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1883 | 2,870,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1884 | 1,114,000 | £418.50 type | £1,892.00 type | ||
| 1885 | 4,469,000 | £448.60 | £1,892.00 type | 4 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1885 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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One row for each year the ½ Sovereign - Victoria 1st portrait 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.
Half Sovereign - Victoria 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £1,600.00 🔒 | £2,050.00 (2) | – | £1,600.00 – £2,500.00 | 0 | 2 | 07-06-2020 | |
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| VF | £399.40 🔒 eBay | £435.10 | ▲1% | £200.00 – £1,700.00 | 17 | 23 | 18-10-2026 | |
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| F | £155.00 🔒 | £217.50 (2) | – | £155.00 – £280.00 | 0 | 2 | 03-03-2019 | |
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| aUNC | £460.00 🔒 eBay | £460.00 (1) | – | £460.00 – £460.00 | 1 | 1 | 23-08-2026 | |
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| EF-45 | £238.50 🔒 | £238.50 (1) | – | £238.50 – £238.50 | 0 | 1 | 25-08-2024 | |
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| MS-61 | £334.40 🔒 | £347.80 (2) | – | £334.40 – £361.20 | 1 | 2 | 21-11-2025 | |
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| MS-63 | £1,700.00 🔒 | £1,796.00 (2) | – | £1,700.00 – £1,892.00 | 1 | 2 | 10-12-2025 | |
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| MS-64 | £2,500.00 🔒 | £2,500.00 (2) | – | £2,500.00 – £2,600.00 | 0 | 3 | 02-06-2024 | |
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| MS-65 | £4,906.77 🔒 | £4,906.77 (1) | – | £4,906.77 – £4,906.77 | 1 | 1 | 01-09-2026 | |
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About the 1838 Half Sovereign - Victoria
The 1838 Half Sovereign - Victoria is a circulating ½ sovereign coin issued from 1838 to 1885 in the Half Sovereign series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 3.99g and measures 19.3mm across. Reverse design: Crowned quartered shield of arms, legend around.
Mintage figures are recorded for 42 years between 1838 and 1885, 61,742,999 coins in all. 1879 is the scarcest date, with 35,000 struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1838 Half Sovereign - Victoria worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1838 Half Sovereign - Victoria run from £218 to £4,907 across 9 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.
Which Young Head half sovereign dates are scarce?
Tony Clayton picks out 1854 and 1862, and Coin Hunter gives no mintage for either. Among London dates with figures, 1879 (35,201) is far the lowest, followed by 1850 (179,595). The Melbourne coins of 1881 to 1887 are also small issues.
What is the die number on a Victorian half sovereign?
A small number under the shield identifying which die struck the coin, used by the Royal Mint to track die wear. Clayton says London half sovereigns carry them from 1863 to 1880, and all dates from 1864 to 1879 have one.
Where were Young Head shield half sovereigns minted?
At London, and from 1871 at Sydney (mint mark S) and from 1873 at Melbourne (M), using London-made dies. Coin Hunter lists branch-mint shield coins up to 1887, after London had moved on.
Is a Young Head half sovereign legal tender?
Wikipedia states that the half sovereign, like the sovereign, is still legal tender in the United Kingdom, having survived decimalisation in 1971. It is a 22-carat gold coin and is collected, not spent.
Who designed the Young Head half sovereign?
William Wyon engraved the young portrait of the Queen, approved for the coinage in 1838. Wikipedia credits the crowned shield reverse to Jean Baptiste Merlen, with the arms of Hanover left out because Victoria, as a woman, could not inherit that throne.
How do I identify the 1838 Half Sovereign - Victoria?
Check the weight 3.99g and diameter 19.3mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Victoria's first half sovereigns were issued in 1838 and Wikipedia records that this first series, with the Young Head and a shield reverse, ran to 1885 in London, with several changes to the size of the head, the legends and the date along the way. The half sovereign was used in everyday change more than the sovereign, but by the 1880s the exacting gold standard meant about 45 per cent of newly struck coins were rejected by the Mint's scales.
Coin Hunter gives 273,341 for 1838 and figures for 41 London dates, from 35,201 in 1879, the lowest, to 4,468,871 in 1885. Gold from Australia brought branch mints: Sydney adopted the London shield design in 1871 and Melbourne struck half sovereigns from 1873, each with a mint mark.
The obverse is William Wyon's Young Head, the portrait which the Royal Mint Museum says takes pride of place among his portraits of the Queen, with VICTORIA DEI GRATIA and the date below. The Royal Collection describes the reverse of an 1885 coin as a crowned shield with BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID : DEF : around it.
Wikipedia credits the shield to Jean Baptiste Merlen. The arms of Hanover, which had sat on the shield under William IV, were omitted because Victoria, as a woman, could not inherit the Hanoverian throne. The coin is 22-carat (.9167) gold with a milled edge.
Varieties and errors
From 1863 to 1880 most London coins carry a small die number under the shield, used to track die wear; Clayton says all dates from 1864 to 1879 have one, and 1863 and 1880 exist with and without. Sydney coins carry an S and Melbourne coins an M under the shield. Wikipedia quotes Sir John Craig that some changes were made "to titillate the numismatists".
Collecting notes
Clayton singles out 1854 and 1862 as scarce, and Coin Hunter gives no mintage for either. Look under the shield for a die number or mint mark before anything else, as each changes the coin being collected. Judge wear on the hair and the crown above the shield, and check the edge milling for signs of mounting or repair.
Wikipedia states that the half sovereign remains legal tender. The Jubilee Head half sovereign followed in 1887 with a new garnished shield.
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 sovereign, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Coin values by year, Victoria (year pages 1838 to 1887, read one by one), Coin Hunter (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Victoria 'young head' half sovereign 1885, Royal Collection Trust (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Ten Shillings: Half Sovereign, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Half Sovereigns, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- William Wyon, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain, Queen Victoria gold half-sovereigns 1838-1901: 1870 half sovereign, NGC Collectors Society (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
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