half sovereign

noun

1. a gold coin of the United Kingdom, discontinued in 1917, equal to 10 shillings.

Word History and Origins

Origin of half sovereign¹

First recorded in 1495–1505

Example Sentences

One of the rarest is a George IV half sovereign from 1821, which is expected to fetch between £2,000 and 2,500.

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The earliest coin is a gold half sovereign of Edward VI minted in 1547-9, and the latest are Charles I silver coins minted in 1645-6.

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I have no money of yours, except the half sovereign you kindly lent me the other morning.

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With his first word of greeting he took a half sovereign from his waistcoat pocket and regretted his delay in paying it back.

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He did not get the sovereign, but then neither did we get the half sovereign which went back into his waistcoat pocket at the end of his visit and disappeared with him, this time apparently forever.

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