The 2005 gold proof half sovereign, featuring a special single year one-off design of St. George and the Dragon on the reverse.
This half sovereign is also available in a bullion version.
See the rest of the 2005 Sovereign Collection.
As always we are offer proof half sovereigns at a significant discount from the official Royal Mint issue price.
We discovered in October 2004, that the new 2005 design would 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.
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.
The obverse shows the fourth definitive UK coin portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, his initials IRB are below the truncated neck. This effigy appeared on coins from 1998 until 2015.
A modern one off interpretation of St George and the dragon for the reverse of The Sovereign, designed by Timothy Noad.
Metal | Gold |
Weight / Size | Half |
Gold Weight Troy Ounces | 0.118 |
Fineness / Carat | 0.917 / 22 |
Mintage Figure | 5,011 |
Issue Limit | 7,500 |
Date | 2005 |
Obverse Designer | Ian Rank-Broadley |
Reverse Designer | Timothy Noad |
Issuing Monarch | Elizabeth II (1952-2022) |
Mint / Brand | The Royal Mint |
Country | United Kingdom |
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Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.
Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.
All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.
If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.
Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.
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We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.
If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.
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We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.
If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.