Obverse of 1817 Half Sovereign

British Half Sovereign
Half sovereigns, along with full sovereigns, were issued in 1817 for the first time since 1604. Since then they have been issued in most years until 1926. After this they were only issued as part of coronation proof sets in 1937, until the 1980's. In 1980, proof half sovereigns were issued, with ordinary non-proof coins following the next year, as well as proofs. Proof versions have been issued every year since, and non-proof ones since 2000.
The Royal Mint had been re-equipped using modern minting machinery built by Boulton and Watt, and the change from guineas and half guineas to sovereigns and half sovereigns was only a part of a major overhaul of British coinage.
King William III of the Netherlands was born on February 19th, and Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg on July 24th

Reverse of 1817 Half Sovereign