2005 Half Sovereigns - New St. George & DragonDuring 2004, we wondered whether the 2005 half sovereigns would have the familiar St. George and Dragon design, or a special single year one-off design.New Old DesignIn 1989 and again in 2002, the Royal Mint issued the gold sovereign series with a different design, in each case for one single year only. These appear to have proved popular. The 1989 was available as a proof only, indeed no ordinary uncirculated half sovereigns were issued from 1983 to 1999. Although from memory it only sold normally when it was first issued, it has seen increasing demand from the growing numbers of half sovereign collectors. As the supply is limited, the prices of these half sovereigns have been increasing, they now change hands at about double the original issue price.The 2002 half sovereigns for the Golden Jubilee were of a shield design, reflecting the similar device used in the early period of Victoria's reign from 1838 to 1893. Once again these were popular, time will tell whether they reach the price levels of the 1989's. Updated St. GeorgeWe discovered in October 2004, that the new 2005 design will be a re-worked and stylised version of the traditional St George & Dragon design which has been used on half sovereigns, with a few breaks, since 1817. The silver crown issued in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee of George V featured a stylised deco version of St. George and the dragon, which is sometimes called the "rocking horse crown". Although we were not around when it was issued, we can guess that it was not universally popular when it was issued, and opinion is still divided about its artistic and aesthetic merits. The Isle of Man also produce half sovereigns with a St. George and dragon design, or a Viking and dragon, these seem to be popular.We can predict that the new design will divide opinion, as do all new designs. We tend to be quite positive and receptive to new ideas and designs, and expect to like the new design when we see it. We also believe that the introduction of new ideas and designs is good as it stimulates discussion and interest in collecting coins in general. The traditionalists will no doubt prefer the existing St George design, others will prefer the new design. It is just possible that the combination of old and new will unite these factions, but it is more likely to create and deepen divisions. Issue LimitsFor 2005, the issue limit has been reduced from a maximum of 100,000 uncirculated to only 75,000 pieces maximum. The issue limit for the proof version has been reduced from 15,000 to only 7,500 coins. We believe the reduced issue limits combined with special design may lead to an early sell-out, and to increased resale prices for both version of this issue in the future.2005 Uncirculated Half Sovereign
2005 Proof Half Sovereign
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2005 Half Sovereign with Die Flaw
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Obverse of 2005 Uncirculated Half Sovereign
Reverse of 2005 Uncirculated Half Sovereign
Obverse of 2005 Proof Half Sovereign
Reverse of 2005 Proof Half SovereignBullion Coin Selector Page
2005 Proof Half Sovereign in Presentation Box |
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