Both full sovereigns and half sovereigns for 1989 used different designs compared with other years. 1989 marked the sesquicentennial year of the first gold sovereign ever issued, for Henry VII in 1489. Even though the first half sovereign was not issued until 1544, the 1989 half sovereign design reflects that of the full sovereign.
Single Year Type Design Whenever there is a coin type which is only issued in a single year, the overall demand for that coin is always greater than for designs which were issued for many years. This is because "type collectors" will not have any choice of alternative dates for that design, so it will be needed by both type and date collectors.
Proofs Only In addition to being only a single date type, the 1989 half sovereigns were issued only as proofs, there being no ordinary non-proof versions issued. AGain this means that there is more potential demand, both from collectors who want every date, and also from collectors who only collect proof coins. The mintage for non-proof coins is often higher than that of non-proofs, so there is a smaller supply base.
Issue Limits It is interesting to note that, during 1989, and possibly into 1990, the Royal Mint did not manage to sell the entire issue limit of 10,000 pieces, yet in the past few years demand for the 1989 proof half sovereign has slightly outstripped supply, probably because the 1989 proof sovereign has rocketed in price.
Design Description
Obverse
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, seated enthroned, facing forwards. The entire design, including the lettering, in a style inspired by the original 1489 sovereigns.
Reverse A crowned shield at the centre of a Tudor rose. Again this design, and the lettering, are in a style similar to that on the very first gold sovereign issues.
1989 Proof Half Sovereigns - Total Issue Limits & Mintage Figures
1989 proof half sovereigns were issued separately, in three coin proof sets, and in four coin proof sets. Our table shows a breakdown of the issued quantities.
| Item | Issue Limit | Mintage |
| Individual Half Sovereign | 10,000 | 8,888 |
| Half Sovereigns in 3 Coin Sets | 10,000 | 7,936 |
| Half Sovereigns in 4 Coin Sets | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Total | 27,500 | 23,471 |
Prices & Availability
Postage & Packing
UK at Buyer's Risk £3.50 per order, or...
UK Fully Insured £9 per order
EU Insured Post £10 per order
USA Airmail at Buyer's Risk $10 US, or...
USA Insured Shipping $20 US
Canada Airmail at Buyer's Risk $15 Can, or...
Canada Insured Shipping via Fedex $60 Can
Coins Wanted We make an active market in almost all world coins, gold or otherwise, including half sovereigns, proof or otherwise. If you have any of these coins to sell, please contact us, or post them to us for appraisal and offer.
Obverse of 1989 Gold Proof Half Sovereign
Shield Reverse on the 1989 Golden Jubilee Half Sovereign
32 - 36 Harrowside, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 1RJ, England. Telephone (44) - (0) 1253 - 343081; Fax 408058;
E-mail: Contact Us The URL for our main page is: taxfreegold.co.uk