United Kingdom • 0.5 pounds sterling
Elizabeth II Gold Half Sovereign uses the 22-carat sovereign standard, eleven-twelfths gold. At nominal standard mass 3.99402 g, fine gold is approximately 3.661185 g or 0.117710 troy oz. This covers standard-weight public collector and bullion half sovereigns bearing Elizabeth II, from the 1980 proof issue through the 2022 Platinum Jubilee group. Nonstandard weights, patterns and Charles III memorial coins are excluded.
When a fresh spot bid is available, melt values use fine-metal content × spot bid. CashForCoins guide buying offers use the separately configured percentage for each metal. Selected rare/numismatic coins require an appraisal. Dollar amounts remain unavailable when a fresh quote or buying percentage is missing.
The standard-weight Elizabeth II family includes proof-only dates and skips 1981. Not every finish exists in every year. The 2022 Elizabeth II Jubilee and Charles III Memorial designs require portrait identification; piedfort coins have different weight and are outside this standard-weight profile.
Formula: specified fine-metal troy ounces × quantity. Dollar melt value additionally requires an approved current metal price.
The pictured 1983 proof shows Elizabeth II facing right and wearing a tiara. Her neck and shoulder extend into a full bust, with ELIZABETH II and the royal titles around the rim. This is Arnold Machin’s portrait. Other Elizabeth half-sovereign dates have different portraits, so the photograph represents one issue rather than every obverse.
On the 1983 specimen, St George rides above the dragon with 1983 below the scene and the designer’s initials to the right. This familiar rider motif also appears on full sovereigns. Anniversary reverses can differ: the issuer’s Elizabeth II 2022 half sovereign uses Timothy Noad’s Platinum Jubilee design.
Royal Mint records confirm the public 1980 proof half sovereign and the 1983 Machin example. The final Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee group was dated 2022 and used Jody Clark’s portrait. A separate 2022 memorial range bears Charles III, so the calendar year alone cannot identify the monarch on every half sovereign.
Confirm the half-sovereign denomination through its approximately 19.30 mm diameter and nominal standard mass near 3.99402 g. The full sovereign is larger and contains about twice as much gold. A tiara, rider or unscaled face photograph does not establish the size; retain any original certificate identifying the actual denomination.
The calculation is 3.99402 g × 11 ÷ 12 = approximately 3.661185 g fine gold. Divide that result by 31.1034768 to obtain approximately 0.117710 troy oz. Eleven-twelfths is the 22/24 carat fraction; the database stores a rounded decimal fraction and a fine-weight override calculated from the rational standard. The remainder is alloy metal, not extra gold. This is nominal content, not an assay of a worn or mounted specimen.
This record concerns standard-weight Elizabeth public issues in 1980–2022, not every trial or pattern specimen. Portraits, anniversary reverses, finishes and edge treatments require the exact year/product reference. The 1983 proof photographs cannot establish proof quality on a different coin. Separate Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee coins from the Charles III memorial range dated 2022 before classification.
Keep original proof boxes, certificates and grading holders together. Special reverses and surface preservation can matter to collectors even when the nominal half-sovereign standard is shared. A generic metal calculation should not erase a coin’s issue description. No grade or market price is inferred from the source specimen.
Use the monarch, year, both designs, physical dimensions, actual edge and product documentation together. The ordinary half-sovereign calculation excludes nonstandard-weight products and reproductions. Do not polish proof surfaces, remove a coin from its holder or assume that the 22-carat appearance establishes authenticity.
Describe these as Elizabeth II half sovereigns, separated from full sovereigns and Charles III coins. Include the complete year, reverse type, packaging and both-side photos. The calculator totals documented nominal gold; an appraisal request should retain evidence of the actual finish and condition.
The original 1870 schedule records the historical denomination standard; the 1971 schedule gives the same metric standard and eleven-twelfths gold fraction. The issuer’s coin pages use shorter display weights, which are retained as rounded references rather than substituted into the standard calculation. Historical legislation is cited for specifications, not current legal or tax advice. Design and date sources are recorded separately from photograph rights. No approved live gold-price feed is configured, so dollar melt values remain unavailable. Collector prices and buyer offers require separate evaluation.
No. Half refers to half the sovereign denomination. At its documented standard it contains approximately 0.117710 troy oz fine gold, far less than half a troy ounce.
No. The Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee group and the Charles III memorial range are distinct. Read the actual monarch portrait and reverse before selecting a composition record.
Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
United Kingdom • 22-carat gold: eleven-twelfths gold and one-twelfth alloy metal
Issue years: 1838–1839, 1841–1853, 1855–1867, 1869–1887
Fine gold: 0.117710 troy oz
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
United Kingdom • 22-carat gold alloy
Issue years: 1959
Fine gold: 0.235400 troy oz
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