User:Retroplum/sandbox IV

The half-crown (2/6d) is a coin that was worth one-eighth of a pound sterling, equivalent to two and a half shillings, or thirty old pence. It was first minted in the reign of Henry VIII and circulated until 1971.

History
The half-crown was first minted in the reign of Henry VIII, originally of 1.9g 22 carat gold. These gold half-crowns featured a crowned Tudor rose on the obverse, with a crowned depiction of the Royal Arms of England on the reverse. Silver half-crowns were first minted in 1551 during the reign of Edward VI, although the production of gold half-crowns continued. It was around this time English coins started having the date of their mintage marked on them. The first silver crowns had a depiction of the king on horseback on the obverse, with the Royal arms superimposed on a cross on the reverse. The half-crowns of Edward VI were minted at higher than sterling purity, although his successor Mary I reduced the purity of coins down to sterling standard - the traditional standard for English silver coins. Mary's half-crowns feature her portrait on one side, and the portrait of her husband Philip on the other.

Gold half-crowns were minted in the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I, before their production was halted in favour of silver coins. The silver half-crowns of Elizabeth I were originally minted at 0.916 fineness, rising to 0.925 sterling fineness by the end of her reign. Both the silver and gold half-crowns of her reign feature her portrait on one side and the Royal Arms on the other - a pattern which was to remain effectively the same for all subsequent half-crowns. Silver half-crowns were minted during the Commonwealth and the reigns of all subsequent English and British monarchs up to and including the reign of Elizabeth II. In 1816, following the Napoleonic Wars the government undertook a programme to stabilise the coinage. The weight of half-crowns was set at 14.138g, and all subsequent half-crowns were of this weight.

In 1920, due to the rising cost of silver, the purity of silver in newly minted coins was reduced from .925 to .500. A handful of Edward VII half-crowns were minted, but none were ever issued for general circulation. During the Second World War the USA lent bullion to the UK, and from 1947 silver coins such as the half-crown were minted in cupronickel instead, and the silver was used to repay the war debt. Half-crowns were last minted for circulation in 1967, in anticipation of decimalisation. The final half-crowns were minted in 1970 as part of a "farewell to Lsd" proof set. Half-crowns ceased to be legal tender on 1 January 1970.