2022 Gold Half Sovereign

2022 UK Half Sovereign Gold Coin

With a history dating back to 1489, the Royal Mint’s flagship 22 carat coin, the Gold Sovereign, represents a trusted constant through years of change.

This is a brand new Half Sovereign bullion finish coin, issued by the Royal Mint. Coins will be packaged loose for small quantities and come in Royal Mint tubes for orders of 25 and more.

The coins are issued without expensive presentation boxes to maximize the amount of gold for your money. You may wish to consider the accompanying Half Sovereign coin capsules.

The Half Sovereign version enhances divisibility further, enabling buyers to hold small units of gold.

For the first time since the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee back in 2012, the reverse of the 2022 Half Sovereign features an alternative design to George slaying the Dragon.

The Royal Coat of Arms adorns the reverse, in celebration of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. This in itself, should make the coin more collectable than usual.

The central shield design is split into quarters, representing the symbols of Ireland, Scotland and England. Wales was already integral to England before the Act of Union.

The crest is of a ‘statant guardant’ lion (where all 4 paws are grounded, with the lion facing the viewer) wearing the St Edward’s Crown. On the right hand side of the crown (‘dexter’ in Latin) stands the Lion of England and on the left (‘sinister’ in Latin) is a chained Unicorn of Scotland. The unicorn is chained as myth states that a free Unicorn was a dangerous beast.

On the right hand side of the shield stands a chained Unicorn of Scotland and on the left stands the Lion of England. The unicorn is chained as myth states that a free Unicorn was a dangerous beast.

The obverse features the Queen’s fifth portrait by Jody Clark.

As a bullion coin, the 2022 Half Sovereign is designed and aimed at investors. A bullion finish is the cheapest production method available, with the coin being struck once in the mould. This lends itself to those seeking as much tax free gold as possible for their money, rather than pay for expensive packaging and a proof finish. Like the larger 2022 gold Sovereign, the Half Sovereign version has an unlimited mintage as the Royal Mint seek to maximize distribution with growing market demand. This helps keep prices down, but may limit upside potential in years to come compared with limited edition coins.

Our Expert Opinion

A wise choice for those seeking maximum divisibility in their gold portfolio. Their diminutive size means even a modest investor can own a number of coins, providing flexibility when the desire to liquidate part of the portfolio arises.

The compromise comes with the higher relative premium of the coins when compared to their big brother, the Gold Sovereign coin. The general rule of thumb is the smaller the coin, the higher the premium, simply due to the cost of minting representing a higher percentage of the coin’s gold content. This doesn’t mean we suggest you simply buy the largest gold coins available just to reduce relative margin.

In our opinion, the coin is a sound choice as the premium isn’t inflated by any historical value. It’s the cheapest way of owning a Half Sovereign without having to pay the increased premiums associated with George and Victorian Half Sovereigns. We’d recommend these coins form part of a larger portfolio, mixed with larger coins and semi-numismatic coins, to achieve a balance between buying price, flexibility and growth potential.