Every day people ask us for coins which do not exist, including 1956 half sovereigns.
Half sovereigns were not issued in every year, and this is one date for which none were issued.
No full sovereigns were minted in 1956 either, Krugerrands were not introduced until 1967, indeed very few countries issued any gold coins in 1956, however we can suggest some alternatives.
We can often supply Chile 100 Pesos from stock.

Why Not?
This is often the next question we get asked. It would be better to ask the Royal Mint, but we can tell you that coins are only produced when they are needed. The last date of half sovereign struck by the Royal Mint for circulation was 1915, although some of the branch mints continued striking them until 1926.
It was not until 1982 that the Royal Mint started to strike and issue half sovereigns again to supply demand for bullion coins. It now seems likely that half sovereigns will continue to be issued yearly.

Proof Half Sovereigns
Since 1980, the Royal Mint has issued half sovereigns in proof grade, for sale to collectors. Proofs are coins which are specially struck with a very high standard of finish. These are only issued in limited quantities, and are more expensive than ordinary bullion or circulation type coins. Obviously this is of no interest if you are looking for a 1956 half sovereign.

Alternative World Gold Coins

Country	Denomination	Diameter	Weight	Alloy	AGW	Cat
Chile	100 Pesos	32	20.3397	.9000	.5886	$250
Liechtenstein	50 Franken	24	11.2900	.9000	.3267	$225
Liechtenstein	25 Franken	19	5.6450	.9000	.1633	$125
Monaco	100 Francs	23		.9000		$600
Peru	100 Soles	36	46.8071	.900	1.3544	$650
Peru	50 Soles	30	23.4056	.900	0.6772	$325
Peru	20 Soles	23	9.3614	.900	0.2709	$200
Peru	10 Soles	18	4.6807	.900	0.1354	$75
Peru	5 Soles	15	2.3404	.900	0.0677	$50
South Africa	One Pound	22.05	7.78	.9166	0.2354	$350
Tunisia	100 Francs	21	6.5500	.9000	0.1895	$600
Vatican	100 Lire	20	5.1900	.9000	0.1501	$575

Key
Denomination - Face value
Diameter = Approximate Diameter in millimetres.
Weight = Weight in grams.
Alloy = Fineness of gold.
AGW = Actual fine gold weight in troy ounces.
Cat = Catalogue Value in US Dollars.

Year of the Horse
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on a 12 year cycle, each year in the cycle is associated with a different animal.
The Perth Mint in Australia produces a series of Chinese Lunar Calendar coins, in gold and silver, starting in 1996. We do occasionally manage to buy some of the older years, although they do tend to be quite hard to source.
1956 is the Chinese lunar calendar "year of the horse". If you can't see any 1956 gold coin you like, you may wish to look at our 2002 Year of the Horse page.

Year of the Monkey
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on a 12 year cycle, each year in the cycle is associated with a different animal.
The Perth Mint in Australia produces a series of Chinese Lunar Calendar coins, in gold and silver, starting in 1996. We do occasionally manage to buy some of the older years, although they do tend to be quite hard to source.
1944 is the Chinese lunar calendar "year of the monkey". If you can't see any 1944 gold coin you like, you may wish to look at our 2004 Year of the Monkey page.

Other Dates of Half Sovereign
If you wish to check any other dates of half sovereign, take a look at our Half Sovereigns - Which Dates Exist? page.