Like the other gold sovereigns produced for/in South Africa, the Gold South African Half Sovereign came to being after the end of the Boer War. It made its entry into coinage in 1923. The coin continued being minted during random years until 1932. The Gold South African Half Sovereign draws its name from its value, which equates to that of half Pound Sterling.
The Gold South African Half Sovereign has a gross weight of 3.9935 grams. However, the actual gold weight of this coin is .1177 troy oz with a gold fineness of .9167. Its diameter spans 19.3 millimeters while its width is just 1.06 millimeters. This standard circulation coin has a medal alignment facing top and has been demonetized.
The obverse of the Gold South African Half Sovereign coin features the head of King George V without any regalia and facing to the left thereby showing his left side of the face and neck. The inscription, “GEORGIVS V D.G.BRITT:OMN:REX F.D.IND:IMP:” runs clockwise from the bottom-left side of the coin just where the neckline of the effigy ends to below it on the bottom-left. On the neckline, the text, “B.M.” denoting the engraver, Edgar Bertram Mackennal, appears.
The reverse of the Gold South African Half Sovereign coin is dominated by the image of St. George riding a horse and slaying a dragon. The image, which faces to the right, shows St. George with a helmet on the head and a sword in the right hand. St. George’s image is the work of Benedetto Pistrucci. The text, “SA” is on the ground upon which the dragon falls and below the right hind hoof of the horse. The year is inscribed in a straight line below the text, “SA”. You will also spot, “B.P.” for the mint inscribed towards the bottom-right corner of the coin.
The Gold South African Half Sovereign was struck by the-then Pretoria-based South African Mint. It was founded by President Paul Kruger in 1890 although it opened officially on July 6 1892. Investors and collectors trading in this coin are not required to pay sales tax or VAT.
